Pages from the Black Order Diary
by pika318
Summary: A collection of short stories relating to anything and everything in D.Gray Man, minimal pairings, mostly about friendship. Chapter 26: Broken Promises The three promises in Kanda's life that were never kept
1. Amigo

Moko-Chan: DGM belongs to Hoshino. (Hellooo…please get better soon). Yah, I know I'm not done with "Before Allen came" yet but I still have a writer's block for its final chapter so I'm starting on my new collection of short stories (Yay! Clap clap)

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It was a small mining town. The air was dusty and the walls of buildings were covered in soot. It was already late in the evening and the people of the town were quickening their pace so they could make it back home to enjoy a well-deserved warm meal.

Nobody would have noticed a small blonde boy huddled next to some empty crates holding a worn hat out with a soot covered hand in hope that someone would spare some change.

_Hardly anything again. Luiz and Denis are going to have to fork out their winnings from yesterday…_ The boy looked at the contents in the hat. It contained only a few coins and some trash. He sighed and raised his head to look at the setting sun.

_It's getting late, maybe I should go look for them? _Then something caught his eye. A person, a person who did not fit into the scene. It was a man wearing a neat two-piece suit. Both his hair and skin were dark but at the very least, he looked clean, proud and wealthy.

_Must be someone who owns the mines._ The boy thought as he adjusted his cotton mask to cover his nose better. The dusty air had always troubled his airway.

The man briskly walked past the boy, dropping something into the hat as he went by. The boy stared at the bundle and his eyes widened.

_No… No way!_

And he called out to the man.

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"Excuse me, kind sir!" Tyki turned when he heard the boy's voice.

_Oh crap, did he find out? No wait, he wouldn't use 'kind sir' if he did._

"What is it?" Tyki asked, hiding his panic with a gentlemanly smile.

The boy held out the stack of notes. "It's too much, I can't take it."

"Oh really?" Tyki said as he took back the notes, then peeling one from the stack, held it in front of the boy. "Then is this amount okay, little boy?"

The boy shook his head. "Luiz and Denis said that I can only take spare change."

Tyki laughed. _Damn those two. _"I don't have any change unfortunately."

"Then don't give me anything." The boy said shortly and coughed.

There was an awkward pause as Tyki made no intention to walk away. The boy continued staring at him.

"So… Are Luiz and Denis your friends?" Tyki asked even though he knew the answer very well.

"They take care of me because my parents aren't around anymore." The boy said. The boy was still looking intently at Tyki. Tyki thought the long hair would at least be able to make him more unrecognizable, and not to mention, he wasn't wearing those ridiculously thick spectacles.

"Why are you staring? Do I look like someone you know?" Tyki asked curiously.

The boy shook his head again. "You just reminded me of one of our friends who disappeared."

"But I don't look like him?"

"Yeah. His hair's way shorter and he wears these really thick spectacles." The boy said forming two blackened circles with his hands and putting them in front of his face.

_Yep. I was right to wear the spectacles as a disguise._

"We really miss him a lot so if you see him, can you tell him to visit us?" The boy asked hopefully.

Tyki hesitated to answer. He wanted to tell the boy he was the one they were missing but he knows he cannot.

_I cannot get Denis, Luiz and Eaze involved with me.._

"Maybe he struck it rich and decided to leave?" Tyki suggested to cover for himself. "A rich man has no reason to get his hands dirty."

The boy frowned, angry and he protested, defending his missing friend.

"Tyki would never do that to us! He promised that we'll get through together, no matter what! He's been getting us nice things from his secret jobs!" The boy yelled and stopped when he started coughing, this time harder than the last.

Tyki was taken aback. "I apologise. Those nice things, do you still keep them?"

"Of course! We won't sell them until he comes back!"

_Until I come back… Is it even possible? Would you all want someone with bloodied hands as a friend?_

Then the boy coughed really hard continuously. He sounded like he was choking. He pulled down his face mask and then coughed into his dusty palm.

"Oi! Ea--, are you alright?" Tyki grasped the boy's arm. The boy was shivering and his breaths were coming out short.

_Shit!_ Tyki quickly scooped his young friend into his arms and ran to the nearest clinic.

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Eaze was in a daze when a bit of light made it past his eyelids. He opened his eyes but his vision was still a bit blurry from the tears.

"Hey" He heard someone say. A familiar voice, a familiar way of speech.

Through the tears, he saw the round thick specs which would be burnt into anyone's minds.

"Tyki?"

"I'm sorry."

The boy blinked away the tears and the two round circles were gone as was the person wearing them. Then two people burst into the room.

"Eaze, are you alright?! We heard from Tom that you got sent here!" Denis yelled, obviously worried sick.

"Denis, Luiz." Eaze said weakly. "I'm alright."

"That's good." Luiz said, wiping his hands on his shirt. "Oh man, what about the bill?"

"Sorry."

"It's okay, Eaze." Luiz said hurriedly, not wanting to make the young child guilty. "We'll ask the doctor."

As if on cue, the doctor walked into the ward.

"Oh, are you his guardians?"

"Yeah."

"Eaze here needs some medicine and further treatment to get rid of the excess phlegm. It's the bad air, I tell you." The doctor said, looking at his clipboard.

"Urr… Doc, I'm afraid we can't let him stay, you see, the cost…" Denis started saying.

The doctor glanced up from his clipboard. "What are you talking about? The gentleman who brought him here paid for the bills already. He also said to pass this amount of money and this thing to you all."

The doctor pulled a rolled up wad of notes from his pockets and a pair of spectacles with very thick lenses.

The three other people in the room stared at the items.

"I knew it!" Eaze said, almost in a whisper. "Tyki was here!"

Denis wiped the tears that formed from his eyes. "That damn idiot. That idiot, God, I'm going to kill him when I see him!" Though the words were menacing, his tone reflected happiness.

"We can send Eaze to school, oh bless that idiot!" Luiz cried in joy.

The doctor smiled at the scene. That 'Tyki' was a strange man. He disappeared right after making sure Eaze was alright.

"Then the boy will be staying, I suppose?" The doctor asked.

"Of course, of course!" The two grown men cried.

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Just as Tyki stepped into the Camelot's household, Rhode suddenly appeared above him, hanging upside down from the Earl's umbrella, Lero.

"What th--?! Rhode, don't scare people like that!" Tyki chided, giving an uncaring look.

"It's alright! That woman isn't home." Rhode said and jumped onto the floor, landing in front of Tyki.

"Hmm… … Did something good happen today, Tyki?" Rhode asked with a creepy grin. "Tell me!"

"I'm not saying." Tyki replied, pushing Rhode away.

"Tyki's a meanie!" Rhode whined. "Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" She swung Lero up and down. (Lero! Rhode-sama! Stop swinging me around! Lero!)

"No no and no." Tyki said, and he went to his room leaving Rhode sulking behind him.

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Moko-Chan: Yep! Done. Please read and review. And read my other stories if you haven't and review them as well. (Menacing look)


	2. Difficulty

Moko-Chan: Chapter 2! DGM belongs to Hoshino Sensei.

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"Oi Yuu? Whatcha moping about?"

Kanda turned his head to see the annoying rabbit once again trying to disturb his quiet moments.

"None of your business."

Much the Kanda's further irritation, not only did Lavi not back off, he went nearer and joined Kanda in his 'brooding'.

"Can I ask you something?" Lavi asked, leaning on the banister.

"You just did." Came the sarcastic reply.

"Why do you hate Allen so much?"

"Did Lenalee ask you to talk to me about this?"

"Nope, it's all on my own accord. So why?"

"He annoys me."

"You know he's facing a pretty tough time now, with the Order suspecting his identity and all. You could try being nicer towards him." Lavi suggested although Kanda's expression obviously meant no-chance-in-hell.

"So in what way does he annoy you?"

Kanda kept quiet for a moment and then sighed.

"A question back to you then. Is it easy to kill someone you know?"

Lavi thought for a while. He recalled the blue glassy eyes of the Akuma who was once his friend, the painful internal struggle as he tried to convince himself that the enemy in front of him was an Akuma and the overwhelming sadness after that. And the only comfort he got was Bookman saying "Good job."

"I…" Lavi hesitated. "I wouldn't know. Why do you ask such a question?"

"Because I don't know the answer either. And I don't want to know." Kanda replied and walked off to train in the forest.

Lavi watched his friend leave and muttered to himself. "Yeah, Allen can be way too careless with his words."

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Moko-Chan: Is this difficult to understand? In case it isn't too clear, Kanda's annoyed with Allen because he still naively believes that sacrificing himself would solve everything and stupidly said "Please kill me if I become the 14th."

Please read and review.

Thank you greenteamoose for reviewing.


	3. Exorcist

Moko-Chan: DGM belongs to Hoshino sensei who is rumoured (unwarranted claims, may not be true) to be back in April.

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"What are those people looking at?" Miranda asked, pointing at the crowd of people gathered outside a normal church in the streets of London.

"I think the man standing in the centre is a priest." Krory commented, being able to look over most of the crowd due to his height.

Then came a loud bellowing from the priest. "**EVIL! BEGONE**!"

Lavi chuckled. "That priest's an exorcist."

"An exorcist?" Lenalee questioned.

"Yeah. But he's not an exorcist based on our definitions." Lavi replied. He was about to continue talking when he got interrupted by another bellowing.

"**DEVIL! LEAVE THIS MORTAL AND RETURN TO THE SHADOWY DEPTHS FROM WHICH YOU HAVE SPAWNED**!" The priest shouted, tapping the man kneeling in front of him with a branch apparently drenched in 'holy water'.

"So what sort of Exorcist is that person?" Allen asked Lavi, curious.

"Well, to most people, he's a holy man who gets rid of evil."

"Like us?" Asked Lenalee.

"Not exactly. That guy probably can't make a scratch on Akuma. But people believe he can banish evil when in reality, I doubt he can." Lavi said in a know-it-all tone.

"A conman." Krory concluded.

"Yeah, somewhat." Then the crowd started cheering as the man kneeling down was pulled up by another and was brought out from the crowd. The Exorcists heard someone in the crowd praising the priest for removing the 'devil' inside the man.

"If you ask me," Lavi said softly, not wanting the supporters of the other 'Exorcist' to hear, "That man was probably just suffering from Tourette's disorder." Upon seeing the confused looks on the other four, he continued explaining.

"It's a disease of the nervous system which causes people to act erratically, either by twitching or yelling or other strange behaviours."

"And that looks like a possession?" Allen asked.

"Well, if I was normal and I saw someone acting that strangely, I would think that it's a possession." Lenalee replied.

"But the person isn't really cured, is he?" Miranda asked, hands clasped in worry and concern.

"Nope. That just makes people feel better mentally. See?" Lavi nodded towards where the 'possessed person' was standing. The person was still being supported by his companion and then they saw his head go lopsided suddenly before going upright again. "A hospital would have been a better choice."

The amazed crowd were, on the other hand, showering the 'Exorcist' with praises and tokens of appreciation.

"_That" _Allen said, a bit repulsed by the 'oohs' and 'ahhs', "Is kind of bad."

Lenalee nodded in agreement. "We aren't supposed to fight for personal gain."

"Nevermind." Lavi said grinning. "He's not really an Exorcist anyway. Shall we go?"

Then Allen's left eye reacted. A disc-like object appeared in front of his eye, indicating the presence of their mortal foe.

"I guess not."

A middle-aged woman was pulling a male youth towards the crowd, saying something about his friend had passed away and she's worried that his friend might have too strong of a bond with the youth and thus possessed him as an evil spirit.

"Heh." Lavi gave a short laugh. "Looks we can't even take a break from work." (Collective sigh from everyone) And the Exorcists went to eliminate the Akuma.

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Omake

Lavi: It's only a level 1… Four of us excluding Miranda would be overkill right?

Allen: True.

Lenalee: Then…

Lavi/Lenalee/Allen: Krory shall go. (Turn to Krory) Good luck!

Krory: … I guess it is training.

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Moko-chan: Please read and review. Thank you greenteamoose and AllenXWalker'sXEnemy for your reviews.


	4. Homework

Moko-Chan: DGM belongs to Hoshino-Sensei who is first rumored to have pneumonia, then intestinal damage and in the hospital. Now we think she's recovering from a wrist injury… 0_o

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Rhode Camelot hates doing homework. It's stupid, useless and it something those inferior humans thought up. She only goes to school so government officials won't ask her politician father unnecessary questions.

_But why must I do homework…_

The Noah stared at the pages of her arithmetic workbook. She was unmotivated to do it. She looked at the corner of the dining table and spotted the stack of reports which Lulubell acquired from the Black Order. Now she was motivated, motivated to do something else that is.

Rhode took the reports and put them on the table in front of her. Then she tore a page out of her workbook and wrote in black ink the word 'Plan' before underlining it.

Plan

My goal: To make Allen always think about me.

Brief summary of action:

_Hmm… I could make Allen really really like me but that would be difficult._

A person could really like someone but still think and care about other people at the same time. One could love a lot of people. But when it comes to hatred…

This feeling was easier to develop in humans and when a person hates another to the core, he or she would inevitably keep thinking about the horrible things that he or she had suffered due to that hated one.

_In short, if I can get Allen to hate me a lot, I would be the only person that he would be thinking of._

Rhode grins as she fills up the blank in 'Brief summary of action'.

Method:

She twirled her pen between her fingers thinking about her methods. She didn't need to think for long. Allen was a kind boy, a very kind and compassionate one.

_He would surely hate me if it was his precious friends who got hurt. _

She looked through the reports on the Exorcists in the Black Order.

_Deceased… Deceased… Deceased… Why did the rest of the family have to kill so many of them, especially Tyki, that jerk._

She continued sifting through the reports until she did not see the red stamp plastered across the front page.

_Oh here are the live ones! Doesn't look like I have much of a choice…_

There were only fourteen of them.

_Well the Generals are out. I wouldn't want so much trouble when I'm having fun. This one's out too. I don't want to play with a weird blue monster._

She took out the five reports and threw them aside.

_Hmm… don't think it's fun to mess around with old people, he could have a heart attack. _(Chucks onto floor with the other five) _I might play with this one, oh, a blind guy. _(Puts aside) _Hey I remember this one, so she became an exorcist? Might be fun to see her squeal again. _(Puts aside) _Never seen this vampire guy before… doesn't look that entertaining. The twins said he was tough._ (Chucks on floor) _This human is an exorcist too? Never expected a clumsy bear to be able to make it. Their fake god must be desperate. _(Puts aside)

Now there were only four left. Rhode knew three of them were Bookman Jr, Lenalee and Allen, her first three 'playmates'.

_We may play with each other again._ Rhode thought as she continued her sorting in glee and anticipation.

_I want to play with Bookman Jr again, it's so fun looking into his head. Imagine his face if he saw me alive. _(Puts aside) _And Lenalee too! Prettiest doll I ever had. I got so many clothes I want her to wear. Pity about her hair though, it was so fun styling it the last time. _(Puts aside) _Who's this? A young pretty boy? I wonder if he'll be as fun as Bookman Jr and Lenalee? I want to try to break this one._ (Puts aside)

The last was Allen's. Rhode's not going to include him but unlike the treatment given to the other 'rejects', she put this report nicely aside.

_What's Allen going to do?~~_

She unclipped the photos from the pile of her potential choices, flipped them face down and shuffled them around on the clean dining table.

_I wonder who I'll get? I shall pick two so if one breaks, I'll still have another. I'll definitely want to keep them for as long as possible._

She daintily placed her hands on two of the photos.

_These two then~~ _(heart) _I wonder how Allen would take it?_

She flipped the two photos and looked at the faces.

"Oh, lucky~~" Rhode said to herself, grinning maniacally.

_We're going to have -So-Much-Fun-Together  
_

_A-L-L-E-N _

_I hope you loved them.  
_

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Moko-Chan: Never type a creepy fic at night. My god, I think I just scared myself. I was hesitating to type this.

Please Read and Review.


	5. Etiquette

Moko-Chan: -man (Which has achieved dubbing status) is owned by Hoshino Katsura. I was supposed to help my sister type this in her story "Black Flower and Butterfly". Then again, who cares?

Let's hop to the earlier parts of the dairy.

The Japanese child gave the new Supervisor an icy glare. Meanwhile, the Supervisor's own little sister tried to shield herself from view by hiding behind him.

Komui kept his hand stuck out and introduced himself yet again.

"My name is Komui Li. Nice to meet you."

Kanda's eyes shifted from Komui's hand, then to his face before looking away.

_This boy looks troubled, it's as if he doesn't want to have anything to do with me._

Komui withdrew his hand and stood up straight. Lenalee looked at her brother with feelings of curiousness and anxiety, thinking that he had given up introducing himself to someone whom she had a soured relationship with. Then he did something which shocked her and Kanda.

The tall Chinese man suddenly bowed and said his introductory statement.

"Hajimemashite. Watashiwa Li Komui desu. Douzo Yoroshiku.

There was a long silence before Kanda opened his mouth to talk.

"You're the Supervisor so I should introduce myself first." Kanda said coldly. "And I understand English just fine."

"But it caught your attention, didn't it?" Komui said, smiling. "And it made you talk."

Kanda scowled but wiped the scowl off his face when he saw how panicked Lenalee looked. He was about to go off when Komui took matters into his own hands.

"Say, it's almost lunch time. Lenalee, are you hungry?" Komui asked.

Lenalee nodded.

"Kanda-kun, why don't you join us for lunch?"

Kanda turned around to face the smiling Supervisor and Lenalee giving a hopeful look. Kanda knew that even if he refused, that older brother would cook up some scheme to make him go to the cafeteria with them anyway. He wanted to ignore them and walk away but that proved to be futile.

"Silence means consent." And with that, Komui put his hands on Kanda's shoulders and steered him and Lenalee towards the cafeteria.

"Aya-nnnnnn~~~~~" Cooed the Indian man in an Okama way. "These two children are so cute~~. They're Exorcists, Komu-tan?"

"Yes. This is my younger sister Lenalee and this is Kanda." Komui introduced. "And that's our new chef, Jeryy. He's a lot better than the previous chef or so I heard."

"Of course." Jeryy declared proudly. "All that person ever makes is French food and a mockery of Asian food. Does he think Asian food consists only of buns, curry and noodles?"

"Then what kind of food can you cook?" Lenalee asked.

Jeryy leaned over the counter as if to emphasize his point. "I can make anything you want to eat."

Lenalee gave a wide eyed look of admiration while Kanda just glared, a bit skeptical.

"So what do you wish to eat?"

Lenalee immediately asked for fried rice with an egg on top. Kanda thought for a while. He was pretty sick of all the Western food that the previous chef made and he could not remember what he ate in his Akuma-infested home country.

"I don't know." Kanda said.

"How about soba?" Jeryy suggested. "It must have been a long time since you ate food from your home, right?"

So Kanda just went with it.

"Here's your food!" Jeryy dished out the fried rice with egg and the cold soba. (Of course, Jeryy taught Kanda how to eat the soba as he was staring cluelessly at the combination of noodles, spring onions, soba sauce and wasabi.)

The two children proceeded to eat their food as the two adults watched.

"So how is it?" Komui asked.

"It's delicious!" Lenalee exclaimed between large mouthfuls. (Moko-Chan: The Chinese call this "Lang Tun Hu Yan" Literally, Wolf swallow, Tiger gulp which is basically what Lenalee is doing now.)

"Kanda?"

Kanda seemed to be restraining himself from wiping his eyes with his sleeve and managed to mutter "It's really delicious."

Komui was happy that the two young Exorcists were happy about their meal but Jeryy was more preoccupied with something else.

"No."

Komui gave Jeryy a surprised look. Jeryy looked as if someone just ruined his future and cursed him and his extended family for generations thereafter.

"No what?" Komui asked.

"NO! THAT IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG!~~~~~" Jeryy suddenly screamed hysterically.

Lenalee and Kanda looked up from their food in surprise while Komui had a look which could have easily meant "HUH?"

"What's wrong?" Komui asked.

"Your sister!"

"My sister?"

"She's eating in such an unladylike manner! How is that not wrong?" Jeryy exclaimed.

It wasn't difficult to imagine why Lenalee was like this. She never had a woman figure in her life and her previous life in the Order was not exactly manner-oriented.

"I think it's cute." Komui said taking note of the rice grains stuck to Lenalee's cheeks.

"She won't get a boyfriend like this." Jeryy argued.

"I don't mind." Komui argued back. "I can take care of her."

"Noo~~~" Jeryy whined and then pointed at Kanda. "Even _he _is eating in a _more_ ladylike manner." (Kanda dropped his chopsticks.)

Then the chef made a declaration.

"I will make Lenalee a lady even if it kills me." He said, eyes, which cannot be seen behind the sunglasses, burning with determination.

Komui would have protested but it was most unwise to go up against the man who would be making his meals.

"Uh… Go ahead."

Jeryy reverted back to Okama speak. "Okay~~ So Lenalee, you'll work hard, right?"

"Right." Lenalee managed to say.

Then they continued eating.

Omake

Komui: But you better not do _anything_ to Lenalee. (Threatening look)

Jeryy: Of course not~~~ I'm not interested in little girls.

Komui: Right, I'm glad to hear that.

Jeryy: I like cute boys a lot more.

Komui: 0_o

Kanda was prepared to throw down his chopsticks and run out of the cafeteria. Lenalee was giving a look of "Is that wrong?"

Note: Translation- "My name is Komui Lee, nice to meet you."

Okama is a Japanese term for Homosexual guys/transvestites. It was used in the Reverse Novel.

Moko-Chan: Yay! Please read and review. If you're wondering why Lenalee and Kanda's relationship has soured, read "Black Flower and Butterfly"


	6. Children

Moko-Chan: DGM belongs to Hoshino Sensei who's now coming back in March!

Since it's the Valentine's day period, I shall write a story of love!!!

(Gets kicked by Pika-Chan)

Ow! Just kidding! Geez, I don't write romance anyway. (I would try but it's really mild)

Here's a funny chapter. I got a feeling my next few chapters are going to be my niche thought-provoking serious ones.

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_So I came back to the Order._

_Curses._

General Cross Marian had returned to the Order only to find that plenty of things had changed. Well, it's not that he had been absent for years, he just did not return often. He would be fooling around for months before returning for about a day in lest his superiors questioned. So it was only now did he notice the differences in the Order in comparison to how he remembered the damned place. (Which was horribly outdated.)

The chef changed. (Not that he could complain, the food was good. The chef himself was another issue altogether.) The Supervisor changed. (Bring out the bells. Hallelujah.) Some of the staff was definitely different. (Transferred or dead.) But what really made General Cross raise an eyebrow were the Exorcists, to be more specific, a particular group of Exorcist.

_Since when were there so many children in the Order?_

Maybe 'many' was an overstatement. One child was uncommon, two children in the Order at the same time was rare but three?! Who the heck has been picking up so many brats?

And of course, these 'brats' left General Cross with a rather deep impression, both in the mind and his clothes.

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General Cross walks out of his room, shaking off a slight hangover due to drinking the previous night. It was already the late morning but it was never a habit of his to wake up when the sun rises. That's how it always been everytime he makes his short returns. Drink, sleep, Wake up, maybe eat then go give a fake report to the Supervisor and lastly, vanish for a few more months.

However, this time the part before step four was interrupted.

"Daisya, stop chasing after me!" He had heard someone shouting. It was a child running towards him. The child (Boy? Girl? Cross couldn't tell.) had long black hair and was holding a long weapon.

"If you stopped running, I wouldn't be chasing!" The second child hollered. Another pint-sized shrimp (Boy) with bed hair and carrying what looked like should belong on the dinner table. Pie.

"Drop that damn thing then!"

"It's just a little cream pie, eat it!"

"NO!"

The black haired one had just reached the staring General when the other brat pulled out a round object and kicked it.

"Charity Bell! Shoot!" The spherical object flew forward in a perfectly straight path, bouncing off the wall in front of the first brat and landing right where his next step should have been. And brat number one tripped and fell face first.

And then brat number three appeared (Obviously a girl, long hair, black dress), and was about to grab the arm of brat number two then with a battle cry of "EAT PIE!", the pie flew in a beautiful parabolic motion…

And landed right on the General's coat with a 'splat'!

The cream leaked out of the broken pastry and started dripping down General Cross's once clean coat onto the stone floor.

"Ah, crap. I missed. Guess my foot-eye coordination is better than my hand-eye one. Right, Lenalee?" The messy haired brat turned to the girl, grinning. The girl did not return a grin.

"D…Dai…Daisya. That's a General." Lenalee stammered.

Daisya looked at a silently fuming General Cross. Then he jabbed a finger at the General.

"That uncle's a General? You mean like the old man? Whoopsie-daisy."

"You…" Before General Cross could express his fury, Daisya interrupted him by pointing at brat number one.

"Hey Kanda! It's your fault! If you just ate the cream pie, I wouldn't even dream of throwing it at you." Daisya tried to shift the blame in a completely unreasonable manner.

"MY FAULT?!" Kanda almost shrieked. "You know damn well I hate sweet stuff and _you_ were the one who threw that stinking pie!"

"If you just let it hit you…"

"Kanda, Daisya… I think the General's angry…" Lenalee squeaked fearfully.

"Who the hell would stand there and be a freaking target?!" Kanda strode towards Daisya and was in the midst of drawing his weapon.

"Oi Brats." General Cross growled in a low dangerous voice. One could almost expect to see demons emerging from the shadows behind him.

Kanda turned around quickly, almost replying with a very rude "What?", but froze when he felt the killing aura. Daisya gulped and Lenalee freaked out completely.

"Do you all have some sort of dying wi…" And then General Cross was interrupted yet again. This time by a rather large youth who ran over and grabbed Daisya and Kanda by their clothes. Then he pulled them both in front of the General and bowed, forcing the other two to bow in apology as well.

"What the hell? Marie! I'm not bowing!" Daisya protested. The other just grumbled very loudly.

"I'm terribly sorry for the behaviour of my Juniors. They're being playful _children _just as all _children _are. I know surely their _childish _act has infuriated you in some way but they're still learning their manners as they are only _children_. I hope you would forgive _children _like them."  
(Moko-chan:This is Peacemaker reference.)

General Cross could swear that Marie was emphasizing a certain term in his apology.

"You. You're called Marie if I'm not wrong. Froi's disciple?" General Cross asked, still miffed.

"Yes."

"Those three?"

"These two," Marie said referring the two directly and indirectly involved in the crime, "Are also General Tiedoll's disciples. Lenalee is the Supervisor's sister."

"That means, you," General Cross pointed at Daisya with a gloved hand "Who threw a pie at me," He points at Kanda "You, who was supposed to be the one with cream on your clothes," And lastly points at Marie, "And you, who apologized to me in absolutely the most irritating manner I have ever heard, are all Froi's brats."

"Uhh, yes?" Marie reluctantly answered.

When the disciples are in the wrong, the Master is to blame. The darkness moved.

"General Tiedoll is in trouble…" Lenalee said softly, fearing for the other General's safety.

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In the end, General Tiedoll just laughed it off and invited General Cross to join him and the children for a picnic.

Of course, the invitation was rejected.

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Omake (I didn't want to put this but Pika-chan requested it.)

Cross: At least I can expect more women in this blasted place.

Tiedoll: How so?

Cross: Give those two about 5 years or so and I expect the Supervisor's sister and your kid to be real lookers.

Tiedoll: My kid?

Cross: That one.

Tiedoll: Yuu-kun is a boy.

Cross: … *mumbles (My god… Marian, you intended to flirt with a man.)

Tiedoll: Boy.

Should never have told her about Guilty Gear. (A similar incident happened in that game.)

*****************************

Moko-chan: You guys remember my chapter '**Homework**'? I think that chapter's cursed. I was playing an online game which allowed cosplaying by dressing up our game avatars. I cosplayed as Kanda and this was a short conversation between me and a Rhode cosplayer.

Rhode: You wanna play?

Kanda: No sorry, I rather not.

Rhode: Awww no fair, maybe I will add you to my collection of dollies along with Lenalee.

And I was like 0_o. It's like my story…

Anyways, please read and review.


	7. Woman

Moko-Chan: DGM belongs to Hoshino-Sensei. I am starting to understand how she acquired a wrist injury. (My current lifestyle is leading to one…)

*************************************

She did not know.

She had married into the Camelot family after only a short three months of courtship. The marriage itself was, however, a rather huge affair. But that shouln't be strange, after all, her husband was the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

She never thought that she would join such an honorable family. Even though her own family was rather influential and powerful, many other bachelors turned her down because she was ill and sickly and they feared that she would never be able to bear their heirs. This family, on the other hand, thought little about it.

"Who said family had to share your blood?" Her husband had told her. As though to prove his point, he adopted a relative's daughter (Whose parents died in a tragic accident according to him) shortly after their marriage.

Then she was gradually introduced to more from his family. An uncle who was an influential Earl and his pet cat ("Took care of me years ago!" He had said.) A half-brother who once worked in the mines ("Thank God I found him!"), a distant cousin from America ("Died horribly, murdered by some mad criminal…") and a pair of twin relatives from the same country. ("Grandchildren of my grandfather's niece's cousin's uncle.")

It was a good life. Peaceful and serene. Even though the servants of the household seem a bit dead and she always wondered why some of the servants kept being transferred away, life was normal.

She never knew what her family's business really was, she never knew her daughter had stained her hands in blood or that her husband instigated a war.

She never knew that people had suffered because of them.

She did not know that she was only there to make things look "normal."

She did not know and she still doesn't.

*********************************

Moko-Chan: Done! This chapter is short and choppy because I'm getting rather busy. (And my wrist is starting to hurt) I hope you all can figure that this is about Thrisha.

Please read and review.


	8. Rivalry

Moko-Chan: DGM belongs to Hoshino sensei. Okay, I procrastinated enough. I have a whole stock of ideas to write but I'm getting lazy. Maybe it's because DGM is back. (Hehe)

*******************************

I never thought much of Komui Lee when he first entered the Black Order.

So maybe he had the brains and some good blood since his sister was an Exorcist. But the great me has been hanging around in the Black Order since I was a child! I had ancestors who made great contributions to the Black Order. He, compared to me, was only an ordinary man!

He can't be a threat to my goal of entering the main branch. I've been working for that position ever since I was in my teens! That man only came in less than a year back.

Yet he caught up quickly. Even the great me was shocked. I heard from the other candidates that he sleeps very little and just works and works to polish his English (He could barely speak it when he just came) and in his Innocence research. Then he starts receiving commendations, even more than myself.

Others have asked him why he is trying to cram ten years worth of work into much less than five years. The only reply they got was a smile and that they'll find out soon enough.

Now Komui Lee's a threat and a serious one as well. And so I declared him a rival in front of his face, (As well as in front of a lot of onlookers because it looks cooler that way) determined to claim my rightful throne. And his reaction? That I remember very well. It started with a smile.

"A rival? I don't think I'm talented enough to be your rival, Bak Chan. Nor am I interested." Komui had said.

"But we're competing for the same spot!" The great me exclaimed. Does this man not know the meaning of rival?!

"I have no interest in competing against you to be Supervisor. Going to the Main Branch is my goal, being a Supervisor is only a bonus."

I gave him a confused look. Everybody who came here just wants to achieve the highest rank and this guy doesn't want it?!

Then his smile changed into a very cold look. I knew he was damn serious and if I didn't buck up, I could lose my chance.

"However, if you being Supervisor would interfere with me going to the Main Branch, I will gladly take you down."

***************************

Wong cried after that. He had never seen the great me working this hard before.

However, I still wonder why he wants to go to the Main Branch so much?

***************************

It was only a simple desire. Maybe someone could explain this simplicity to Bak.

**************************

Moko-chan: Finished. Brain is messed up. So story looks messed up. Then again, Bak is messed up. XD He's an awesome character, but sometimes he just doesn't understand well… some things. I inferred from the reverse novel that Bak had no idea that Lenalee suffered in the Order and that Komui was just working to get to her. He's a bit childish, isn't he?

Please read and review.


	9. Cards

Moko-Chan: Wow, I haven't updated for nearly half a month. Gee, I wonder why. Oh yeah, I was too busy drawing DGM fanart and working and applying for uni. (And playing my Nintendo)

DGM belongs to Hoshino Katsura.

***********************************************

Another resounding crash echoed throughout the cottage as Allen Walker dropped yet another plate. The owner of the cottage, a short fearsome old lady, tapped her walking stick in irritation and glared at the boy's master.

"Marian! How many plates do you want to see that imbecile wreck before you're convinced he can't move that damn arm?!" Martha yelled, spit flying. Then she hollered for her servant, Baba to clean up the floor. (Once again.)

General Cross just continued to look apathetic. He wasn't going to bother about Martha who was still screaming at him. Nor was he going to bother about his apprentice apologizing continuously to that giant of a servant.

_I need to make him recover his mobility quickly. I can't waste anymore time._

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!!" Martha finally shrieked.

The General moved his hand over his ear. "Stupid old woman." He muttered.

"What?" Martha said, while holding her walking stick above her head in a menacing manner.

"You got any poker cards?" General Cross asked.

"I dumped them all."

"Oh, because you don't want to remember all the times you lost to me. I understand your pain." General Cross commented in a mock sympathetic tone.

A small vein twitched on Martha's forehead.

"Baba!" She shouted and threw her purse at Baba. "Go get a pack of cards."

"Cards?" Allen said aloud, wondering why General Cross would need them.

"Yeah, Poker cards, my idiot student. You're going to learn how to play poker."

******************************************

_Poker. _Allen thought as he saw four people sitting around a square table with their cards, money and beer.

He then let out a sigh that could have easily been a year's worth.

_The only help that Poker gave me was how to use my left hand properly. _Allen thought as he wiped another beer mug with a rotten piece of rag.

_Not that it was a bad thing, since it's a lot easier to work with both hands._

"Hey squirt!" One of the men at the square table shouted. "Another pint of slug!"

"O…Okay!" Allen replied, his train of thought just crashed into a wall. He hastily filled the mug he was holding and brought it over to the table.

The customer took it without a word of thanks.

"Going to play another round?" The customer taunted his companions. His companions eyed each other in fear.

"Get someone else."

"Yeah, you just took a week's worth of my wages."

Allen saw the pile of cash on that one customer's side. It was quite a lot. Not enough to clear his Master's one day's worth of debts but it was definitely quite a hefty sum.

_Gambling huh? If I wasn't so unlucky, I might actually consider using gambling as a way to earn some money._

"Your luck's gonna run out sooner or later." A man commented as he sat at the table.

"Oh yeah, you wanna try?" The "super-lucky" one asked, smirking.

There was a buzzing among the on-lookers and soon the table had four players.

Allen decided it was time to continue cleaning the dishes when he got knocked over by one of the previous losers who got cleaned out.

"Watch it, squirt!"

"Ow…"

"I'll deal!" The "super-lucky" customer took the pack and shuffled. Then Allen noticed something that the others couldn't see since he had fallen right behind Mr "Super-lucky".

While shuffling, Mr "super-lucky" had flicked his wrist so deftly and quickly that one usually would have overlooked. A few cards slipped into his long sleeves.

_Eh?_

"You don't have to shuffle so much." One of the players exclaimed impatiently.

"Sorry, bad habit. It helps me know the cards, if you know what I mean."

Allen saw everything after that, during the dealing, switching of hands and shuffling. Mr "Super-Lucky" was in fact Mr "Super-Cheater."

************************************

Allen brought a pack of cards with him to work. Whenever he had a break, he would try the movements. It wasn't easy so when Mr "Super-Cheater" came to rip more money off the other customers, Allen would just watch and memorize the movements.

Then one day, opportunity struck.

"Hey, we need one more player!" Mr "Super-Cheater" shouted. He was ready to just randomly pull someone from the crowd of onlookers when Allen Walker sat down in front of him.

"You're the bar boy…"

"If you don't mind, I could play. Sir."

The "Cheater" scoffed. "I hope you have the wages."

"Of course. I don't wish to lose them so please go easy on me." Allen smiled and rolled down his sleeves. The "Cheater" winced along with the other players. There was a demon behind that fake gentlemanly smile. They could feel it.

"Black Allen" was born.

**********************************

Omake

Cross: Where did you get so much dough?

Allen: I earned it.

Cross: Stolen?

Allen: No.

Cross: Please tell me you didn't do anything like selling yourself.

Allen: OBVIOUSLY NOT!!!!

Cross: Then?

Allen: I gambled.

Cross: I thought you were the manifestation of misfortune itself.

Allen: I cheated.

Cross: … You cheated.

Allen: Yes.

Cross: And won.

Allen: Yes.

Cross: Oho…and no one found out?

Allen: Uhh… Yes?

Cross: Excellent. Very excellent. I'm glad you're my apprentice.

Allen: ??

**********************************

Moko-Chan: Yeah, please read and review.


	10. Guilt

Moko-Chan: DGM belongs to Hoshino Katsura. Haven't updated for a long time for many reasons, working, gaming, drawing, chapter 186 and the stupid hiatus because of one of the dumbest things Hoshino ever did. Motivation falling.

******************************

It was a sunny day. He would have liked it. He would have wanted to just run out there and cause some chaos. However he can't do that. He's stuck in some musty basement in some urn which had his name inscribed on it. Stuck with hundreds of other urns.

_And you wouldn't like how gloomy the atmosphere is either._

It's been months since these one hundred and forty eight people, six Exorcists and one hundred and forty two Finders, were placed here. Months of allowances to let those who have lived to mourn and get over it. Yet there are those who have not and those who never do.

_Would it have been different if we had made it there in time? No. If Marie was there, he might have been killed as well. If your golem wasn't broken? No. It wouldn't have made a difference._

_We shouldn't have split up in the first place. We were too overconfident thinking that we can clear the Akuma up faster by splitting up. The General always told us to never work alone and we did just that._

_What if I was there with you? Or what if I was there instead of you? It would have been different._

_It's not fair. You're the one with a home and family. Why were you the one who died? You could have gone back to them after the war._

_If I was the one facing the Noah, I wouldn't have been killed. No, even if I died then, I wouldn't have a family that would miss me. I wouldn't have a home that I am unable to return to._

******************************

"I have a vulgar dad, a noisy mom, two annoying little brothers and a little sister who just wouldn't stop crying. My parents run a souvenir shop and sell a bunch of cheap stuff to tourists. That what it's like back home." Daisya happily declared. "How about you?"

"I don't have a home or a family." Kanda replied coldly.

The other boy just stared at him. Then he scratched his head and let out a sigh.

"What?" Kanda asked angrily. "Something wrong with that?"

"It's 'didn't'." Daisya said, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"I-**didn't**-have-a-home-or-a-family." Daisya said, dragging out each word out as though he's talking to a toddler. "I thought you been learning English for years. But it seems like your grammar has a lot of room for improvement."

"I said I DON'T have a…" Kanda protested.

"'Didn't', you dolt." Daisya retorted back. "You have one now. And don't you dare try to argue against that.

***************************

_Damn. I just remembered something annoying. You're annoying even after you're dead, do you know that?_

Somebody reached over and touched the urn containing Daisya Barry's ashes. It was General Tiedoll.

"We'll tell you when the war's over, Daisya-kun." The General sniffled. Obviously, he's been crying. Again. "We miss you a lot." He sounded as if he's going to erupt into a fountain of tears once more.

_God, please hold back on your crying. There are other people around. What if they start crying with you?_

"See you in a few months time, Daisya." Marie said. "Shall we go?"

General Tiedoll nodded while still honking into his handkerchief.

"Time to go, Kanda."

"Hai."

_Bye, Daisya._

****************************

Moko-chan: Okay done. Doodz, I'm running out of ideas. Doom, Depressed, Die. Nevermind, it'll work out somehow. Please review.

Haha. All the theories I've written in "Before Allen came" and "Black Flower and Butterfly" just got shot down by Chapter 186. Ignore my ranting. I need to rant because I don't talk much when working.


	11. Closet

Moko-Chan: DGM belongs to Hoshino Sensei. Hmm, actually I wanted to type something else then I got this brain wave, like two days ago. So, something about young Lenalee and Kanda (Yet again, I write way too much about Kanda.)

*********************************

It was a dark place, rather warm but it made him comfortable. He was all alone and that's how he liked it. Alone in a small space. It was better than places with a lot of people because those type of places made him feel weird.

Other people are unable to see the lotus. He's been told that what he is seeing is not real but he still cannot ignore it. It's just there in front of him. No one else would point at it and exclaim "Hey! What's that flower growing out of a stone floor?"

_It's a strange thing. _He thought, sitting in a curled up position on top of thick blankets. The lotus was just like a picture cut out. No matter the colour, texture or pattern of the background, the lotus would still remain the same shade of pink. It doesn't change according to its surroundings like other real objects. Even the small crack of light shining in isn't altering the shade on the flower.

_Master should be looking for me._ He thought. It was almost time for training. He doesn't dislike training nor does he like it. It's just that these were one of those days where he doesn't feel like doing anything.

_I'll apologise later._

Then he heard some voices. The voices sounded angry and annoyed, cutting through the wooden door and through the warmth. He looked up, alert.

_I don't think it has anything thing to do with me, does it?_

Then he heard the sound of panting and footsteps. It was the sound of fear and it was getting closer.

*********************************

_They're not catching up, are they? I got to hide._

She ran towards the closet. It was a good place to hide, it was small and blends pretty well with the wall so adults tend to overlook it. She usually was able to hide there for hours until the yelling stopped. Then she would leave and get caught before anyone realized that the closet was her hiding place.

She usually had a good amount of time to disappear but this time the adults was really close to catching to up. She never had to run so fast before. It was time to hide.

She opened the door.

********************************

He looked up and stared. For a moment, the lotus vanished. It does that sometimes when he focuses on something else.

_Eh? Did I get found out?_

The girl stared back.

********************************

_What is she doing in there?_

The other girl was wearing a light-coloured sleeveless Chinese top and long black pants. She wasn't wearing any shoes at all. It was really a sharp contrast to her own dark coloured western dress and heavy shoes.

_A ghost? Is she Chinese as well? Since when was there another girl in the Order?_

The shouting was getting closer. There was no time to ask questions.

********************************

The girl seemed to ignore him completely and crawled into the closet. Then she grabbed a thick thread which was tied to a nail roughly wedged in the inner side of the closet door and pulled the closet door completely shut. He hadn't noticed the mechanism so there was quite a significant amount of light let in earlier.

Now that amount of light was cut to almost none.

The girl was sitting in a crouching position as well.

Involuntarily, he let out a hiss of irritation. That girl just crawled in, completely ignoring the fact that it was going to be cramped with both of them in there. He shifted a bit, pressing his back against the side of the closet but her shoes were still touching his toes. They were cold and hard not like the shoes he wears.

He could feel the heat creeping up to him. It was really uncomfortable and to make things worse, she was gulping for air. It was loud and noisy.

He let out another hiss of irritation.

******************************

She could hear her own heart beat and breathing echoing through the closet. It was really loud. She wondered if the other girl could hear her heartbeat as well. Then she heard the other girl making a hissing sound. The same sort a cat makes when you anger it.

"Breathe in deeply." The other girl said.

_Huh?_

She did not respond immediately and the other girl spoke again in a low whisper. The other girl had a rather low voice. Like that of an older girl much unlike her own higher pitched one.

"Breathe in deeply."

She took a deep breath and was about to let it out when she felt the other girl lean in and covered her mouth with a hand. Her hand felt cool.

"Hold."

She held her breath. The other girl backed off, removing her hand. After a few seconds, the other girl spoke again.

"Breathe out."

She breathed out. Her heart wasn't beating that fast anymore and she didn't feel that out of breath either.

"Again."

Breathe in. Hold. Breath out.

******************************

He was relieved that that girl wasn't gasping like fish out of water anymore.

_Should I get out? Wait, if I get out now, would she get found out?_

There were still voices outside.

_Fine, I'll just stay here for a while more._

*******************************

The other girl seemed to be staying. She was glad. She wonders if this meant that they could be friends.

_They're still outside…Wait! Oh no! They're getting closer!_

The footsteps approached the closet.

******************************

_Dammit._

_******************************_

_Oh no!_

*******************************

"General!" The Finder saluted. "Sorry to bother you, but have you seen this girl, long hair, wearing a black dress?"

General Tiedoll scratched his curly crown. "No. Ah, have you seen my disciple? He has shoulder length hair and is wearing oriental clothing. He's a cute child."

The Finder gave a sheepish look. "We are so bad with children. How about we look for both of them?"

General Tiedoll laughed at how they, a group of adults have been thrown off by two children.

"Why not?"

After a while, General Tiedoll found the closet and of course the two children. He paused as the two children stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Did you find them?" The Finder asked.

"Only my disciple." General Tiedoll pulled his disciple out of the closet and closed the door partially, blocking the girl from the Finder's view. Carrying his student, Tiedoll said to him in a chiding tone. "Yuu, don't hide like that, what if you get lost?"

The only reply he got was a scowl.

"Looks like you have to look someplace else."

The Finder moved off.

_Looks like the Order has became a more interesting place._

_**********************************_

Moko-Chan: I was just wondering something… When am I going to stop writing this story? (NOOOOO!!! DON'T STOP!!!) Maybe when ends.

This is rather long Short Story…

Please read and review.


	12. Mystery 0

**Author's Note: **Hi, this is pika318 here. Moko-chan seems to be too unmotivated/lazy/busy to write new chapters, so I'm taking over for this mini story arc. You know how some anime always have this 7 mysteries situation? That's what I'm doing here. Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Hoshino-sensei owns DGM.

Mystery 0

Reever dragged his tired body into Komui's office, carrying yet another pile of paper to be read and approved. As he entered the office, he spied Komui's beret over the piles of paper which lined the desk. He just had to find space to put this new stack on then, without disturbing the delicate equilibrium of the rest of the paper, that is.

"Supervisor, you'll need to sign this as well." Reever said, he was about to put down the pile of paper when he saw the look on Komui's face. Reever didn't know how to describe it exactly. Komui looked rather serious, yet there was this hint of mischievousness in his eyes that Reever did not like at all. It was like Komui was planning to do something crazy again. He deduced that it was due to the piece of paper Komui was holding.

"What are you reading?" Reever asked, feeling rather curious at what could have gotten Komui into such a mood.

It was only then did Komui register that Reever was in the room.

"Oh Reever! I was just reading something interesting. Do you want to see?" Komui replied with a rather cheerful tone. Reever decided he didn't want to know after all.

"No, I don't think so. It's probably one of your crazy ideas again, right?"

For a moment, Komui looked rather hurt. "Of course not, Reever. You should trust me a little more."

Reever felt feelings of guilt creeping up inside him. Okay, maybe he should be a little more trusting sometimes. Komui does do his job properly, no matter what crazy things he did occasionally.

"Fine, what is it?"

"I found it with the documents that were bought this morning. Doesn't the title sound interesting?" Komui said excitedly before passing the paper to Reever.

'Jesus, he can act like such a child sometimes.' Reever thought before reading the paper which was passed to him. The title was rather eye-catching, written in bold letters and underlined many times.

"**The Seven Mysteries of the Black Order"**

"Huh?" Reever said in response. "What the heck is this?"

"I don't know." Komui replied, still with the same excited voice. "But don't you think it'll be fun to investigate?"

"Supervisor, you know you don't have the time to do this sort of thing. Besides, this could just be a prank." Reever replied, waving the paper for emphasis.

"But Reever~" Komui was going to start whining again, when he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Nii-san. I bought the coffee." It was Lenalee holding the coffee tray.

'It's Lenalee, thank god. Maybe she can talk some sense into Komui.' Reever thought. He was about to tell Lenalee about Komui's 'excuse to slack off' when Allen came in as well, also holding a coffee tray, except his was empty.

"Eh, Allen? What are you doing here?" Reever asked in surprise. He was suddenly mildly aware of the faint killing aura behind the paper pile. There was no doubt that Komui's hypersensitive nerves told him that Allen and Lenalee must have some sort of special relationship to be together at this time. Allen must have felt it as well, because he could see Allen backing up ever so slowly.

"Oh Allen-kun? I needed help with the coffee because more people were able to work today, and Allen-kun was at the cafeteria, so I asked him for help." Lenalee replied. Reever could feel the killing intent subsiding and started to relax, only to remember Komui's idea before they were interrupted.

"Since you're here, Lenalee, can you help me talk your brother out of another of his ideas? We're shorthanded as it is, and he's planning to slack off again."

"That's not fair, Reever!" Komui protested. "Don't you want to know the truth behind the seven mysteries?"

"No I don't." Reever replied.

But that conversation was enough to get Lenalee and Allen interested. "Hm? What seven mysteries?"

Reever gave in and passed the paper over to Lenalee. Allen moved closer to read the piece of paper as well.

"**The Seven Mysteries of the Black Order"**

Komui decided to take the chance. If he could convince Lenalee now, not only would he be able to slack off from work, he'll get to spend time with his cute sister as well.

"Ne, Lenalee. Don't you think it's interesting? We could investigate it together."

Lenalee looked at the piece of paper before looking at the brother's eager face. Well, it won't cause any harm, and it looked like her brother was looking forward to it…

"I guess it'll be fine. But we shouldn't take too long, okay?" Lenalee finally consented and Reever finally realized that convincing Komui to go back to work was a lost cause by now.

"Allen-kun can come too as well if you want." Lenalee turned to Allen and said cheerfully.

"Err…" Allen hesitated for a while, simply because he didn't want Komui to get the wrong idea.

"You're free right?" Lenalee asked again. Allen turned to see Lenalee smiling at him. He couldn't refuse at all.

"Yes. I guess I can go with all of you."

Reever watched the scene unfold before him and made a decision.

"Then I'm going with you guys as well."

Komui turned to him with the most touched look on his face. "Reever, I knew I could trust you to approve!"

'No, that's not it. It's just that if things go out of hand, I don't want to be blamed for not keeping an eye on you.' Is what Reever thought, but didn't have the heart to say.

"Okay, the four of us would now officially start to investigate the seven mysteries of the Black Order! Let's meet at the baths tonight!" Komui instantly said.

"HUH?! Why the baths?" Reever almost exclaimed.

"Eh, Reever? Didn't you read the list?"

"No I didn't."

"Read it then. The first one on the list." Komui took the paper from Lenalee and passed it to Reever.

Reever read the first entry.

1. Baby Loch Ness Monster in the baths.

"What?" Reever could only say in response.

"Exactly, isn't it strange? That's why we are going to investigate it tonight!"

"Pardon me for asking but…why at night? Isn't it better to investigate it during the day and be done earlier?"

"Did you read the fine print?"

Reever turned back to the paper. Underneath the entry, written in smaller handwriting was

Note: only appears when there is moonlight shining through the window.

"See? So we can only do this at night."

"Fine…"

"So it's confirmed then. We start with the baths and expose the truth behind each mystery!" Komui said excitedly.

**pika318: **So this is the first chapter, just a little introduction. The four of them would be running around the Order for a while :) There's no specific timeline in this arc, something like the Black Order Dinner Party in the Reverse Novel. There will be one mystery each chapter from now on, and maybe I'll be adding more characters to join them in the future.


	13. Mystery 1

**pika318: **Here's the second chapter of the 7 mysteries arc! Moko-chan had to help with major editing this time because I had no idea how to write this properly so that it flows...

**Disclaimer: **DGM belongs to Hoshino-sensei.

Mystery 1

That night, Komui, Reever, Lenalee and Allen met at the baths in order to investigate the baby Loch Ness monster. It just happened to be the perfect night for the investigation, with hardly any clouds so that the moonlight shone brightly through the windows of the Order. Komui was in an excited state and even gone through the trouble of getting a net just in case there was really a Loch Ness Monster. Reever doubted that possibility. In fact, he was getting second thoughts about this situation.

"Supervisor, are you that sure that there really is a monster in there?" Reever asked.

"Of course not!" Komui chuckled. "Nessies don't exist!"

"Then why -"

"To make sure of course!"

Reever sighed. He couldn't get what Komui was thinking sometimes. He turned to the two teenagers for some sanity and spotted Lenalee giving him an apologetic look again. He smiled at her to tell her it was fine.

_I'm used to this craziness._

There was some silence before Allen finally asked.

"Since we're already here, then what's the plan?"

"We go in and catch the Loch Ness Monster!" Komui answered with no waste of time at all.

"Komui-san, that's not a plan at all…"

********

Just then, a Finder who was passing by saw them standing outside the baths. The Finder would have ignored them under normal circumstances but the Supervisor was holding a net of all other crazy things he could have been possessing.

"Umm…pardon me for disturbing, but may I ask what you are doing?" The Finder felt obliged to ask, since Finders have been on the receiving end of Komui's crazy plans more than once.

"What you ask? We're trying to catch a Loch Ness Monster!"

Reever expected the Finder to act surprised or say something in disbelief. Instead of either though, the Finder looked rather relieved.

"It was about time you people found out. Some of my buddies are so afraid of this monster that they won't even go to the baths even after a late night mission."

"You saw the monster before?" Lenalee asked.

"No, I didn't see it before, but some of my buddies did. They told me that they saw the shadow of what appeared to be its head and neck on the wall. And its height was about half the height of the room. There were also some rumours circulating that the baby Loch Ness got lost and came in through the underwater canal and somehow made its way through the plumbing when it was smaller and stayed in the baths ever since."

"Oh I see. Thank you so much for the information." Lenalee thanked the Finder.

"You're welcome. I should be the one thanking you all instead. I can't stand the stink of sweat and blood when the rest come back from a late mission." The Finder said before bowing and going on his way. Komui looked rather triumphant after hearing the information.

"The monster exists! Isn't it good that we came to investigate? Or else we wouldn't have known about it at all."

"Supervisor, we aren't even sure if the rumours are true…"

"Rumours have a basis of truth too, you know."

Reever didn't bother to rebut anymore, he was getting too tired.

*splash

Everyone froze.

*splosh

"Did you hear that?" Allen whispered.

Everyone else nodded.

"Let's go. It must be the monster!" Komui whispered excitedly before entering the baths. Everyone followed with different levels of apprehensiveness. Sure enough, once they entered the baths, they saw the curved serpentine shadow of the head and neck, just as the Finder described it. Following the line of the shadow, it wasn't hard to see that there was definitely a shape in the middle of the baths. Reever, Lenalee and Allen did not dare to make a noise in case the Loch Ness Monster noticed them. Komui, on the other hand….

"I GOT YOU!" Pouncing forward, Komui swung the net over the "Loch Ness".

"Argh!" the shape fell over into the path of the moonlight exposing "it" in full glory.

Lenalee gave a small scream and ran out of the bath immediately at the sight.

"What are you idiots doing?!"

"Ah, BOOKMAN?!" Komui, Reever and Allen shouted in unison. It was then did they notice that Bookman's hair, with its curved shape, could easily be mistaken for a Loch Ness Monster when the shadow was cast on the wall by the moonlight.

*******

_Later that night, after many apologies to Bookman and calming a very embarrassed Lenalee down (I didn't see anything! I really didn't!)_

"So the Loch Ness Monster was only Bookman huh…" Komui said in disappointment before crossing out the first mystery on the list.

Not wanting to see her brother so down, Lenalee tried to comfort her brother. "It doesn't matter nii-san. Aren't there was six more mysteries to go?"

Komui cheered up immediately as expected. "Yeah, you're right! Let's look at the next mystery! Taking the piece of paper, Komui read out the second mystery.

"Number 2. There have been reported sightings of a white figure with long hair wandering down the halls near the medical ward. This figure can only be seen late at night and is often seen carrying a light. However, even with the light, no one has ever seen the face."

"….A ghost?" Reever asked suspiciously.

"Looks like it! So that settled! Reever, we will be staking out near the medical ward tomorrow night! Lenalee, Allen, make sure you come too, okay?"

"Of course, nii-san."

"Okay."

'You just don't want to face the ghost yourself…' Reever thought, but was too tired to voice his opinions. He could only nod in response, looks like they would have to go prowling around tomorrow too.

**pika318: **That's all for this chapter. I'd always like making fun of Bookman's hair XD Next chapter is a ghost!


	14. Mystery 2

**pika318: **And here we are with the 3rd chapter to the 7 mysteries arc. Undaunted by the fake incident from the day before, the group now proceeds to hunt down a white figure...

**Disclaimer: **DGM belongs to Hoshino-sensei.

Mystery 2

_The next day, after morning training._

Lenalee and Allen were at the medical ward to get the white hair youth's wounds treated before going for lunch together. While Allen was getting patched up and getting nagged at by the nurses not to push himself so hard during training (Allen: It's Kanda's fault!That idiot doesn't know the meaning of holding back!!!!"), Lenalee took the chance to ask some nurses about the mysterious white figure in the halls to check the accuracy of the report.

"The mysterious white figure?"

"Yes, do you know anything about it?"

"Of course I know! It was one of the scariest things I have ever since in my life! Well, besides Akuma that is."

Lenalee nodded. "Go on." She said encouragingly.

"Well, I was working the night shift with Ceres. Then, as I making my rounds, I saw the figure, she had long wavy hair and it was obscuring much of her face. At first I thought it was one of the other nurses, but she was giving off the most murderous aura. A normal nurse can't do that right, so it must have been a ghost! I turned around and ran into one of the wards as fast as I could."

"Did you see it again?"

The nurse thought for a while before replying. "Actually, I didn't. After that encounter, I begged the Head Matron to switch my night shift with someone else."

"Oh I see, thank you very much." Lenalee smiled before bowing to convey her gratitude.

"It's nothing. I'm glad I could help somewhat."

******

_That night_

"Okay, since everyone is here. All we have to do is to wait for the white figure to appear!" Komui said, enthusiastic as usual. He had arrived the earliest with Reever in tow, this time carrying not a net, but something that looked suspiciously like a ray gun.

"Err Komui-san, what is that thing?" Allen asked nervously, pointing at the gun.

"Well Allen, as you can see, this is a weapon of defense. Since we are dealing with a ghost here, I've designed a gun that is supposed to hurt non-solid entities by disrupting their electromagnetic signal."

"Elect-what?"

"Allen, you don't have to understand this, really." Reever said, trying to be helpful. Nothing good could come out of trying to understand Komui's crazy inventor side.

"Okay…if you say so." Allen replied and turned to Lenalee, she had been rather quiet since she told them about what she heard in the medical ward. She had a rather worried look on her face even.

"Lenalee, are you okay?" Allen asked, concerned.

"Hmm?" Lenalee looked up at Allen."Oh, I'm fine." Although she said "I'm fine", the worried look remained. Allen wanted to probe further but Lenalee spoke first. "Ne, Allen-kun, do you think Innocence can hurt ghosts?"

Allen was caught off guard by the question, since he never thought about it before. "Eh…I'm not so sure, but I guess it might work. Why did you ask that?"

"Well, the nurse I asked this afternoon did say that the white figure gave off quite a murderous aura, so I'm worried that it's dangerous, and I don't want nii-san or Reever-san to get hurt…"

"It'll be fine, Lenalee. If the ghost is dangerous, I'll distract it while you grab Komui-san and Reever-san and run. Then nobody will get hurt."

Lenalee looked significantly more relieved at his reply.

_Allen always knows what to say to make me feel better._

She was about to thank Allen for comforting her, when she heard the sound of someone approaching the group. Everyone looked up at the sound, it seemed to be getting louder and louder. As the sound approached, they started to see light shining on the walls as the figure approached the corner. The light shone on the white dress, and the long hair covered the face, casting it into shadow.

_Here it comes!_

As the figure approached, the air got heavier and everyone in the group could feel the murderous aura surrounding the figure. Allen moved to the front of the group just in case he needed to protect them. Lenalee moved closer to Komui and Reever, ready to grab them and run if needed. As the figure approached, Komui readied his ray gun, ready to shoot it anytime…

Only to get almost blinded by the light from a torch.

"What are all of you doing here at this late hour?"

As their eyes adjusted to the sudden light source, all of them realized that the voice belonged to the Head Matron.

"Eh..the Head Matron?" Lenalee managed to say.

"Yes, it's me. What are all of you doing here, are you sick?"

"No, we're all feeling well. Thank you." Allen replied. Just then, Komui got out of his shocked state and managed to ask.

"Matron, why are you here?!"

"I'm working my night shift, of course."

"By walking round the hallways?!"

"Of course, I need to make sure that none of you workaholics sneak out of the wards at night." The Matron said, huffing.

"But Matron…don't you normally keep your hair in a bun?" Lenalee asked, confusion apparent on her face.

"It's not healthy to bun your hair up all the time, you know. I need to let my hair rest too."

"And the murderous aura just now?!"

"…What?"

"Err…forget about that. We meant…why are you so angry?" Reever asked.

"That's because I just found out someone sneaked out from the medical ward. It happens regularly since it's difficult to prevent you workaholics from going back to work and get some proper rest." Matron replied. At the same time, Komui and Reever felt it. The Matron was definitely glaring at them in particular.

"We're so sorry for that." Reever apologized, because he knew, besides the Exorcists, the scientists were the most guilty for that crime.

"…." There was a small pause as everyone in the group put two and two together and came to the same conclusion.

"Doesn't that mean that the 'white figure' the nurses were talking about was actually the Head Matron?" Lenalee asked.

"Ghost? Is that what all of you thought I was?"

"We're so sorry!" Allen said hastily before Matron could lose her temper.

"No, it's fine. Now I know why all the other nurses keep running away from me at night."

The whole group breathed a sigh of relief. But the murderous aura returned. The group froze. The Head Matron continued speaking.

"Shouldn't all of you be in bed at this time of night?"

"We're so sorry!" the whole group said in unison, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the Matron's warth.

"If I catch any of you sneaking out of the wards or staying up late again, I'm going straight to your department and dragging you back to bed."

"We understand."

"Now back to bed, all of you."

"Hai…"

******

_Back in Komui's office_

"Well, there goes the second mystery. It wasn't a real ghost either." Komui said as he crossed out the second entry.

Allen looked across Komui's desk to read the third entry.

"But Komui-san, the third mystery might be more promising."

"Really?" Komui asked before reading it out.

"Number 3. Mysterious dark liquid in the pantry. Apparently, it only appears in the early hours of the morning on the floors and walls of the pantry and looks suspiciously like blood. It also disappears once discovered."

"Couldn't it just be someone who dirtied the place by accident? I mean the first two mysteries were all fakes, one was Bookman and the other was the Matron. Shouldn't you stop wasting time on this?" Reever asked, suspicion evident in his voice.

"But Reever…this one is so close to home. Shouldn't you, as the Section Chief, be more concerned about the safety of your subordinates?"

"I do care about my subordinates…" Reever replied in protest.

_Unlike a certain someone when he releases a Komuirin on everyone_

"Okay then, so that settled. We will investigate the pantry tomorrow night!"

"What?! What's settled? I don't remember giving my consent!"

"But didn't you say you cared about the rest of them? Then that means you will investigate this with me."

Reever sighed. Komui was obviously being unreasonable again, but he couldn't refuse the request/order at all.

"Fine. Only this time, okay?"

"Okay! We meet at the pantry tomorrow!"

**pika318: **And Reever is outsmarted and gives in once again, he would give in many many times in this story arc...Thanks alot to all the people who read my story and liked it enough to review and show their appreciation.


	15. Mystery 3

**pika318: **After the mystery of the white figure, the group moves on to the mystery of the mysterious liquid in the pantry. What could the liquid be?

**Disclaimer: **DGM belongs to Hoshino-sensei, who will finally end her hiatus in August.

Mystery 3

_Oh no, I'm late._

As it was Allen's first time going to the pantry, he unavoidably got himself lost along the way. It was only through asking some Finders that he was able to find the right way there. He ran towards the pantry, expecting to see everyone else there, but only found Lenalee standing at the entrance.

"Eh Lenalee, where are Komui-san and Reever-san?" Allen asked in bewilderment. The both of them always arrived the earliest before. Lenalee smiled when she saw Allen and replied,

"I think they're still in nii-san's office. Reever-san seemed determined that nii-san finished all his work before coming when I bought them coffee earlier this evening."

"Oh I see." Allen replied before looking into the pantry. The lights were flickering but there did not seem to be any sign of the mysterious liquid mentioned in the report. He turned to Lenalee.

"Maybe we should get Komui-san and Reever-san? If the liquid appears before Komui-san could get here, we might have to spend another night investigating."

Lenalee considered Allen's idea. It was true that if her brother did not find anything tonight, he would definitely insist on investigating until he found something and neglect his responsibilities, causing more unnecessary stress on Reever.

"Yes, I think we should. Let's go, Allen-kun."

As Lenalee and Allen went off to Komui's office to fetch the two adults, someone came out from the shadows of the corridor and sneaked quietly into the pantry, taking care not to attract the attention of the two teenagers.

_Whew…I almost got found out just now._

******

"Nii-san, I'm coming in." Lenalee said before opening the door to Komui's office. Komui was sitting at his desk as usual, with the most miserable expression on his face. Reever was 'standing guard' over Komui's desk, looking through his own work as well. As Lenalee and Allen came in, Komui's face lit up like he just saw his guardian angel and saviour.

"Lenalee~~! Save me~~! Reever was being so mean!" Komui pleaded as he jumped up from his seat and ran to hide behind Lenalee. Allen knew he was completely ignored at this point, so he stood at the corner of the room and tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

"Supervisor…there's still work to do." Reever said in exasperation.

"I don't want to! Lenalee, say something, please?"

Lenalee looked between her desperate brother and the currently stressed out Reever. Komui looked so helpless and his eyes were full of hope.

_I'm so sorry Reever-san._

"Reever-san, why don't you let nii-san rest for a bit, maybe he'll be more willing to work after we investigate the pantry?" Lenalee said apologetically. Reever knew Lenalee felt bad, but she just wanted to make her brother happier, and he couldn't deny Lenalee that.

"Fine, you better work hard after all this is over."

"Of course I will! It's a promise!" Komui agreed immediately, anything to get him out of this hellhole.

"Thank you so much, Reever-san. I'll make sure nii-san works too. Should we go now, Reever-san, Allen-kun? "

Allen was relieved that Lenalee still remembered that he was there. "Sure." He replied cheerfully.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Reever replied before following Komui, Lenalee and Allen out of the office and towards the pantry.

******

When the group arrived at the pantry, Lenalee and Allen were shocked to see the pantry in a totally different state from before they left.

_What in the world happened here?_

The pantry was dim and the lights were flickering, but the group could see that there was a puddle of liquid on the floor, covering nearly half the area of the pantry floor. But that was not all, there were splatters of the same liquid on the walls, trailing downwards towards the sink and the tabletop.

*drip

*drip

*drip

The puddle on the floor was steadily growing larger.

"Doesn't that look like blood?" Komui asked softly, like he was afraid to disturb the sound of the dripping liquid.

"Yeah, it does." Reever found himself agreeing, his voice shaky.

The puddle was flowing towards the door.

Reever gulped in nervousness and backed away from the door. Komui and Lenalee did the same as well, looking equally nervous. Only Allen seemed strangely calm and wasn't making any move to back away from the door.

"Um…Allen, I think you should back away now, you wouldn't want to get blood on you…" Reever said nervously. Allen stayed near the door, it looked to Reever like he was inspecting the liquid. It was only a few tense moments later before Allen finally spoke.

"Ne…Reever-san, Komui-san, isn't this coffee?"

"HUH?!" The rest of the group looked shocked at the sudden revelation, how was it possible for coffee to be splattered on the walls like that?

"I'm sure of it. This definitely smells like coffee."

Komui took a tentative step forward to the puddle and smelled the familiar aroma of coffee. This puddle was coffee, no doubt about that. Reever and Lenalee did the same and reached the same conclusion. It really was coffee.

Reever was confused now. If this puddle was coffee, why would it only appear at night and disappear later, and can you really make such a big mess from making coffee?

"I'M SO SORRY THAT YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!!!" The group turned around in surprise at the source of the shout and saw Johnny and Tapp coming their way.

"Johnny? Tapp? What are you doing here?" Reever asked in surprise.

As Tapp ran into the pantry with an assortment of towels and rags, Johnny replied, "We were the ones who made the mess, we're so sorry! We'll clean it up right now!"

It took a while for Reever to process the answer. "Wait, both of you made this unbelievable mess?"

"Yes, we did. We'll explain after we finish cleaning this up, okay?" Johnny said breathlessly before running in to help Tapp with the cleaning. In the end, Komui, Reever, Lenalee and Allen helped as well, and it wasn't long before the pantry was restored to its former cleanliness.

"We're so sorry that you have to help too!" Johnny apologized yet again.

"It's fine." Allen said with a smile, hoping that would make Johnny feel better.

"So…how did you cause the mess?" Reever asked, trying to sound calm so Johnny won't go into another apologizing streak.

"Umm…you see. You know it's difficult not to fall asleep when we're working and we need coffee to keep us awake?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, when we're working at night, we need coffee even more to keep us awake, but Lenalee's always the one to make coffee for us during the day, and we wouldn't want to disturb you…"

"I don't mind being disturbed…" Lenalee said, sounding a bit apologetic.

Johnny paused for a while before continuing. "So we thought we might want to make coffee on our own, but accidents always happen, you see…which lead to the mess you saw today."

"Hmm…I see." Lenalee replied smiling. The Science department really cared too much for her, did they not realize that she'll do anything to help them, even if it meant waking up in the middle of the night?

Seeing Lenalee's smile, Johnny was afraid that she would force herself to make them coffee at night too, so he added hastily. "But that doesn't mean that you need to make coffee for us at night too! We can manage really."

"Yeah, we were so shocked to see you at the pantry just now, we were afraid you'll see us and end up making coffee for us." Tapp added.

"Yeah! I was really shocked! If working at night means that Lenalee would make coffee for us all day, then we'd rather sleep, right Tapp?"

"Right."

"So you don't have to come and make coffee for us, Lenalee. We really can manage." Johnny said sincerely.

"Okay, I understand." Lenalee replied, smiling back. She really had the best family in the world.

Although this scene would be rather heartwarming from a normal person's point of view, Allen personally found this scene strange.

_Isn't sleep supposed to take priority over work at night? The order's all wrong._

"Well, we'll be going now. Make sure you get enough rest, okay Lenalee?" Johnny said before running off with Tapp.

"I will, take care of yourselves too." Lenalee replied as Johnny and Tapp turned the corner and disappeared.

"…."

Allen finally broke the silence. "So the mysterious liquid is just coffee, there's no mystery at all."

"Yeah…" Komui replied, disappointed once again, as he crossed out the third mystery. All of the mysteries so far were fakes, just as Reever had said before.

"So does that mean we can stop investigating now? The rest are probably fake as well." Reever asked. Maybe it would be easier to convince Komui to stop now, since all the mysteries so far weren't supernatural occurrences at all.

"We shouldn't give up so quickly, Section Chief Reever." Komui said seriously. "The next mystery might actually be true."

"Isn't that what you thought for the first three mysteries?"

"Yeah, but I have a different feeling about the next one."

"How so?"

Komui began reading the next entry. "Number 4. Mysterious crying noise on the fourth floor of the Order at night. Rumours are that the voice belongs to a lady who was dumped by her boyfriend and she killed herself here."

"The fourth floor is where the training dojos are right?" Allen asked, he still wasn't so sure about the layout of the Order.

"You're correct. This must be a mystery because there is no way anyone in the Order would be crying so regularly at the same time and at the same place every night."

"I admit you got a point there." Reever said.

With Reever's approval, Komui cheered up considerably. "Okay then, we'll be meeting at the dojo tomorrow then!"

**pika318: **So the mysterious liquid was coffee, don't kill me for coming up with such a lame answer to the mysterious liquid...I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and Moko-chan finally said that I'd gotten better at writing this *whew Thank you to all the readers who put me into their favourites list and reviewed my story!


	16. Mystery 4

**pika318: **I'm back with the 4th mystery! According to the review I've gotten, some of you have guessed that it might have something to do with Kanda...although most of you were joking that is. You'll find out the answer soon!

**Disclaimer: **DGM belongs to Hoshino-sensei.

Mystery 4

_There has to be something bothering Krory…he's acting strange today_

Krory was Allen's sparring partner for training that morning. However, instead of concentrating on the duel, Krory was unnaturally distracted the whole time, leaving many openings for the white haired youth to exploit. As Krory got hit by Allen for the tenth time within five minutes, Allen finally stopped and asked, a concerned look on his face,

"Krory, is there anything bothering you?"

There was no answer from Krory. Allen watched as his friend fidgeted nervously, glancing over his shoulder again and again, like he was afraid of something.

"Krory?" Allen said, a bit louder this time.

Krory appeared to finally notice that Allen had called his name and stopped his strange antics. "Hm..ah Allen, were you talking to me?"

"Krory, is something bothering you?" Allen asked again, more concerned than before.

Krory looked away and appeared to be staring at a corner of the dojo. "Uh…no, it's nothing…"

Allen was not convinced at all. He walked up to Krory and put both hands on Krory's shoulders. Krory jumped and continued to avoid eye contact. "Krory, you're a bad liar, you know? If there's anything bothering you, you should tell other people. Then we'll be able to help you."

"…"

"Krory?" Allen asked. There was another pause before Krory finally asked.

"Promise you won't laugh at me?"

"Of course not, Krory." Allen replied, trying to sound reassuring.

Krory leaned closer to Allen before whispering into Allen's ear. "I think the dojo is haunted."

"Huh?!" Allen almost exclaimed.

"Shh…." Krory said quickly before elaborating. "I'm not lying. I was heading down towards the cafeteria to get something to eat last night. When I was going down the flight of stairs leading towards the dojo, I heard crying noises. It was really scary! I ran down the stairs immediately towards the cafeteria and tried to forget what I heard. But that's not the worst part."

"It's not?" Allen asked.

"No, it's not." Krory replied before continuing. " At first, I thought the crying noises was from someone who lost a comrade. But when I reached the cafeteria, I overheard some Finders talking. They were talking about the crying noises too. And do you know what they said was the cause?"

"Err..no?" Allen replied, even though he already had a vague idea on what the answer was.

"They said the crying voice belonged to a lady who was in failed relationship and committed suicide here! This place is really haunted! You have to believe me." Krory pleaded.

_It's the same as what the report wrote, I guess the mystery is true then._

"Okay, Krory, I believe you." Allen said. He didn't really have a choice, saying otherwise would probably make Krory panic again. Krory seemed to calm down a bit after hearing Allen's reply and asked,

"Can you help, Allen? I think I will go mad if this continues."

"I'll try…"

_We're going to investigate that tonight anyway._

Krory brightened up a bit after Allen agreed, and the rest of the training continued without much incident.

******

_That night_

"Hmm…so Krory actually heard the crying?" Komui asked after hearing what Allen told them after they met.

"Yes, he was so scared this morning that he couldn't concentrate on anything." Allen replied, elaborating a bit more.

"So the mystery was true after all…I feel sorry for Krory." Lenalee said.

"He felt better after he told me though, so I guess he'll be fine."

"That's true. Krory can be very brave."

"So since we confirmed the mystery is true, then we'll just have to wait!" Komui said, getting excited. He was holding the same ray gun he had brought two nights ago. Reever reached over and took the gun from Komui.

"Didn't I tell you not to bring that thing? What if you shoot the wrong person, like what you almost did to the Matron?"

"It'll be fine, Reever. I'll make doubly sure before I pull the trigger." Komui replied cheerfully before reaching over to take the gun back. Or at least he tried to. Reever continued to keep it out of Komui's reach. Under normal circumstances, Komui would have jumped at Reever to get his 'toy' back, but he didn't want to make too much noise, just in case he scared the ghost away.

"Fine, you win this time." Komui said, pouting. Reever put the gun down carefully behind him and made sure Komui did not have a clear path to the gun before continuing to keep watch with the rest of the group. Reever suddenly realized that he was actually more willing to investigate with the group now, seeing that he wasn't complaining as much compared to the previous days.

_I'm really getting into it, am I? Must be the Supervisor's influence._

Reever smiled to himself.

_Maybe this isn't so bad, doing crazy things once in a while._

Time passed, and some minutes later…

*sob *sob. A heart-breaking watery sniffing and sniveling echoed through the corridor.

"Did you hear that?" Komui whispered excitedly, moving to the front of the group. Everyone in the group nodded.

The sobbing grew louder, but there was no sign of anything approaching the group as they waited at the end of the corridor.

"Maybe we should move closer?" Reever suggested. They won't be able to catch any ghost if they waited here.

"You go then, I'm not going." Komui said quickly before adding, "And my cute Lenalee isn't going either."

"Nii-san…"

"No means no."

Lenalee turned to Reever, looking apologetic again. Reever sighed and was about to move forward when a hand stopped him.

"I'll go, Reever-san. You can stay here." Allen said, smiling, and got up.

"Be careful." Lenalee said. Allen turned and gave her a reassuring smile before walking down the corridor into the darkness.

******

To be honest, Allen was a little scared. Even though he was used to seeing Akuma souls, it didn't mean he was used to paranormal events. It reminded him of the time his Master told him to go into an old house after telling him it was haunted and left him there for a few hours. He was young at that time, so every little noise he heard, he attributed it to paranormal events and was pretty shaken by the time General Cross came back. Even though the General laughed it all off, and called him unless for being so gullible, Allen never really got over that incident.

As Allen walked down the circular corridor, the sobbing grew louder and louder. Allen moved closer to the wall so he wouldn't be seen and continued walking, making sure he was quiet. He started to see the outline of a figure sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall. There were bottles littered all around the figure. The sobbing continued. Allen moved closer to get a better look when a familiar smell stopped him in his tracks. It made him sick.

_Alcohol?!_

Covering his noise with his sleeve, Allen backed up a few steps until he could not smell the alcohol as much anymore. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down and mentally prepare himself for the smell again, Allen was about to move forward again when he heard footsteps. He stopped. It wasn't long before he heard a familiar voice.

"Are you drinking again? It's not good for your health…"

_Marie? What is he doing here? And he's talking to the 'ghost'?_

"Marie-san…" The figure replied, hiccupping. Allen could recognize that voice anywhere.

_Miranda?!_

As Allen watched, Marie approached Miranda and gently took the bottle Miranda was holding. Miranda starting crying again and poured out her worries to Marie.

"I feel so useless…" *hic "First, I can't do my job well…" *hic "And now I can't even control my drinking habit." *hic "I think…" *hic "I don't…" *hic Marie interrupted her.

"If you have any problems, you can come and talk to me. You don't have to face everything yourself."

"But" *hic "I don't want to" *hic "disturb you." Miranda replied.

"I don't mind at all. I'm always ready to listen, as long as it makes you feel better, and stops you from drinking." Marie replied, sounding calm and reassuring as usual. "And besides, I can hear you crying all the way from my room." He added, humorously.

Allen was sure he saw Miranda blush.

"Okay…"

"Let me take you back to your room. It's better that you rest." Marie said before holding out a hand to Miranda to help her stand up. Miranda took it and both of them climbed the stairs back upstairs.

Allen was honestly shocked by what just happened. He had no idea Miranda was still so depressed despite being at the Order for quite some time, and that Marie knew everything about Miranda's drinking habits and her bouts of depression as well. He made sure he could not hear their footsteps anymore before making his way back to the rest of the group.

******

"So how was it?" Komui asked excitedly.

"It wasn't a ghost at all. It was Miranda." Allen replied.

"It was Miranda who was crying? Is she okay?" Lenalee asked immediately, sounded concerned.

"She's fine now."

"Maybe I should go see her." Lenalee said. She was about to go off when Allen said,

"It's fine, Marie's taking care of her."

"Marie is…? Oh I see. Then I think it'll be fine." Lenalee said, looking relieved.

"Then it's not a ghost at all…" Komui said, disappointed once again. Reever could feel the aura of gloom around Komui. He then did something he never expected himself to do a few days earlier. He tried to cheer Komui up.

"There are still three more mysteries, Supervisor. There's still some chance that one of them could be true…" Reever started to say when Komui looked up suddenly with the happiest expression on his face.

"I knew you would believe in the cause someday, Reever! Onward to the next mystery!"

_What cause? Ah whatever, it's too late to back out now._

Komui whipped out the familiar piece of paper and read out the next mystery. "Number 5. Mysterious music in the hallways leading to the roof. Rumours say that the music comes from a musician whose music cannot be appreciated and died from starvation after wandering here to find inspiration."

"The Order does have a lot of strange noises, doesn't it?" Allen commented.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a building this old." Komui said in mock seriousness before continuing cheerfully. "Okay! This means we will meet near the stairs leading to the roof tomorrow night!"

**pika318: **Okay, so I admit that I'm somewhat of a Marie/Miranda fan and had to add a moment like this. So the next mystery is about mysterious music coming from the roof. As usual, you can always tell me your guesses.  
On a side note, I'm so happy that DGM may be coming back in August in Akamaru Jump with 50 pages!


	17. Mystery 5

**pika318: **I'm back with an update again. I was suffering from a bit of a writer's block, hehe. Then I read a good story and it cleared up somewhat. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Mystery 5

It was already night time. Lenalee was walking towards the Science Department to meet up with her brother and Reever for their next investigation. It wasn't the time for them to meet up with Allen yet, but she knew that Reever can be a bit carried away when there is a larger workload and she didn't want her brother or Reever to overwork themselves before spending the better part of the night investigating the next mystery.

_Besides, it's a good excuse to make coffee for the rest. They'll refuse otherwise._

Holding her tray of coffee, Lenalee reached the Science Department and started distributing the coffee she was carrying. The scientists were shocked. They weren't expecting her at all, seeing that this was the first time she bought them coffee at this hour. Some of them stared pointedly at Johnny. It was well-known that Johnny and Tapp had been found out by Lenalee when they trying to make coffee at night and failing miserably. No one was supposed to get found out in case this situation happened.

Sensing the immense killing aura directed at him, Johnny blurted in panic, "Lenalee, you don't have to do this! We can manage by ourselves!"

"Yeah, yeah." The rest of the scientists chimed in. They were fine with bad coffee and chronic lethargy, as long as it meant Lenalee got enough rest.

Seeing Johnny's reaction as well as the reactions of the rest of the scientists, Lenalee felt really happy. As long as these people were safe, she would fight with all her strength to protect them. She smiled at them and replied, "I'm here to see nii-san, so I thought to bring all of you coffee in the meantime. So it wasn't any trouble, really."

Johnny appeared to consider her answer before finally saying, "Oh, I guess it's fine then." and accepted the coffee cup she passed to him. Lenalee wanted to tell him that it was fine with her if she came and gave them coffee anytime, but Johnny would probably protest and panic again, and she didn't want to give him or any of the scientists trouble either, so she just smiled as Johnny accepted the coffee. After distributing all of coffee cups, she went towards the direction of her brother's office.

*****

When Lenalee opened the door, she saw Reever buried in his own research and supervising her brother, who was doing the same. That was until she entered the room, that is.

"Lenalee! Is it time already?" Lenalee nodded and added, "I already told Allen-kun to go there by himself earlier, so I think we should go now so as not to keep him waiting." Her brother quickly jumped up and appeared to reach for something behind his desk, only to be stopped by Reever.

"Supervisor, we will not bring that thing. Now let's go." Reever said, before dragging her brother out of the office."

Lenalee smiled at the scene and commented, " Reever-san, you seem really enthusiastic about the investigations now." Reever appeared to freeze before replying, "Oh really?" and continued walking out of the office very quickly. Lenalee had to run to keep up with him.

******

Once they left the Science Department, Reever finally let go of her brother and let him walk on his own. She kept in pace with the both of them, enjoying their company. Peaceful days like this were the best. Or nights in this case. It didn't feel like they were in the war at all. After some time, she decided to tell them what she heard today. It would definitely cheer her brother up quite a bit.

"I was talking to some of the Finders at lunch today, and they told me that they heard the music as well. And they also said that it's been increasing in frequency lately."

"Oh really? But from all the previous investigations, there is still a probability that the cause may not be supernatural at all." Reever replied, trying to sound objective.

"Have some faith, Reever. How can you give up so quickly? That's not the true spirit of an investigator…"

"It's called being realistic, Supervisor."

Lenalee listened to them debate again. She had gotten used to it a long time ago and she rather welcomed it. It made the Order feel more like a family, not an organization used for war against Akuma. It wasn't long before they reached the staircase to the roof. Allen was already there.

"Did you wait long, Allen-kun?" Lenalee asked.

"No, I just got here." Allen replied.

"Did you see anything strange?" Her brother asked. He was already in his 'Investigator' mode, as she liked to dub it.

"No, I haven't heard anything either." Allen replied. But as soon as the words left his mouth, Lenalee started to hear a tune. It was coming from above her. She looked up, straining her ears. Everyone else did the same. As the music increased slightly in volume, she heard the tune more clearly. It was definitely coming from the roof. Her brother said, "Let's go!" and started climbing the stairs. She followed him. Allen and Reever followed suit.

As she ascended, the tune grew louder in volume, and she began to make out the tune. It was a lighthearted and cheerful tune, the type of music that would cheer anyone up.

"Don't you think the tune's rather cheerful for a ghost?" Reever asked.

"Reever, you can't expect ghosts to only play sad melancholic music, that's a bad stereotype." Her brother chided, as he continued to climb the stairs. He reached the door first and waited for the rest to catch up. As Lenalee reached the door, she could clearly hear the tune coming from the other side of the door.

"Shouldn't we open it?" Reever asked.

"But I don't want to do it suddenly. It might scare the ghost away." Her brother said, and placed his hand on the doorknob, turning it slowly, trying to be quiet. However, before he could finish turning the doorknob, the tune stopped.

"Did we lose the ghost?" Allen asked.

Suddenly, the door opened and since her brother was still holding onto the doorknob, he fell over at the sudden outward momentum. Lenalee looked up and saw who opened the door, and exclaimed in surprise.

"Lavi?"

******

There was a moment of silence as Lavi stared at them, wide eyed. They all could see him trying to rearrange his expression.

"Eh, Lenalee?! Komui, Allen and Reever are here too?" Lavi almost shouted in surprise. Lenalee helped Komui get up from the floor as Lavi asked,

"So…what are you guys doing here this late at night?"

"We could ask you the same thing, Lavi. What are you doing on the roof this late?" Komui asked.

"Eh, me? I was thinking…about some things." Everyone in the group would have believed him, if not for the fact that he was trying to hide something behind his back.

"Lavi, what's that behind your back?" Lenalee asked.

"It's nothing much."

"If it's 'nothing much', then why are you hiding it?" Komui asked.

"Umm…" Lenalee could tell that Lavi was trying to fight a losing battle.

_What is it that he's trying to hide from us?_

Obviously thinking the same thing, Komui had already walked up to Lavi and reached over his shoulder. Lavi tried to avoid him, but he was much taller and can be really fast when he wanted to be. He took the object without difficulty and took a look at it.

"A flute?"

"Lavi, you were the one who was playing the music?" Allen asked, sounding rather surprised.

"I didn't know you could play the flute." Lenalee added, sounding equally surprised.

With his cover blown, Lavi had no choice but to admit it. "Yeah, I can, sort of…Not really…a bit…but…"

"But?" Lenalee repeated, trying to get Lavi to continue.

Lavi blurted out, or begged, to put it more accurately. "Please don't tell jiji! He'll kill me! He'll say things like 'It's not good to be interested in things like this' or something like that and nag me to no end."

Seeing Lavi this flustered, Lenalee agreed good-naturedly, "It's okay, I won't tell Bookman." The rest of the group promised as well. Then she added, "But with a condition of course."

"And what would that be?" Lavi asked.

"That you play for us sometime?"

"EH!"

Lenalee giggled at his reaction and said, "I'm just joking, Lavi. Your secret is safe with us."

Lavi breathed a sigh of relief, and proceeded to skillfully change the subject. "So what are you guys doing this late at night?"

"We're investigating the seven mysteries of the Black Order. You turned out to be the fifth one." Komui replied, while handing the flute back to Lavi.

"Seven mysteries of the Black Order? Sounds interesting. What were the first four?" Lavi is immediately interested, as expected.

"Well, it's a long story, but to summarise, the first one was a Loch Ness Monster mystery, turned out to be Bookman's hair." Lavi laughed. It took some time for him to stop. Komui continued.

"The second one was a mysterious white figure, turned out to be the Head Matron. The third one was about a mysterious liquid in the pantry, it was coffee and the fourth one was unexplained crying, that was Miranda."

"Oh…so they weren't supernatural occurrences at all, huh?"

"Yeah…there's still two more though." Komui replied.

"Can I join in then? It sounds fun." Lavi asked, eyes shining. This was exactly the sort of thing he liked to do.

"I guess you can…" Komui replied after seeing the 'kira kira' in Lavi's eyes.

"Yay! I'll see you guys tomorrow then!" Lavi replied happily and continued, "I need to go back now, can't be seen carrying this around."

******

_Back in Komui's office_

"So what's the next mystery?" Allen asked.

Komui took out the piece of paper and read out the next one. "Number six. Mysterious ingredients appearing outside the kitchen. Now why does this sound familiar?" Komui thought for a while before recalling what happened when he talked to Jeryy yesterday.

"Now I remember! Jeryy was talking to me about this. We need to investigate this mystery!"

"And why's that?" Reever asked.

"Because Jeryy asked me to do it! I can't just refuse a request from an old friend. And he's convinced it's a Forest Fairy."

"A what?" Allen asked.

"Forest Fairy."

"Did Jeryy really say that, or did you make that up yourself?" Reever asked,skeptical.

"He said something like this…"

_Flashback_

"_Komu-tan! I'm so glad you're here~. I heard you're investigating mysteries in this place?"_

"_Yeah, I am."_

"_Can you help me with one?"_

"_Of course! What is it?"_

"_Well, you see~, it's happened for some time already, but when I go to the kitchen in the morning to prepare the ingredients, they is always this small basket full of the freshest ingredients I've ever seen, even in the market. I don't know where they come from, but I think it's a forest fairy."_

"_Eh, why do you think it's a forest fairy?"_

"_Because the amount of the ingredients is always rather few, so the person carrying the basket must be a small person right? So it must be a forest fairy."_

"_Oh ok."_

"_Hmm~ you don't believe me, Komu-tan?~"_

"_Of course I do! I'll look into it for you."_

"_Thank you so much~~ I know I can depend on you~~"_

_End flashback_

"So since I've already promised Jeryy I would do it, and we did promise Lavi that we'll bring him along, then we should continue investigating right? Even if you think it's something as unbelievable as a forest fairy." Reever knew what Komui's true purpose was though.

"YOU JUST WANT TO SLACK OFF!" Reever shouted, vein popping from his head. Then he sighed heavily and said,

"We don't have a choice then, I get it."

"That's right! So tomorrow night, we'll meet at the cafeteria."

**pika318: **If you are wondering why Lavi was playing the flute, it was the trading cards. There was one series of cards which showed Lavi playing the flute, Kanda on a violin/fiddle and Allen with a harmonica. So my imagination started to run wild. There was another series with the guys in a rock band, Lavi was on drums, Kanda was on bass and Allen is doing vocals. Next mystery is on a forest fairy!


	18. Mystery 6

**pika318: **So I'm back with the Forest Fairy mystery. Some of you may have guessed it right already, but I'm not going to reveal anything here, so just read on!

**Disclaimer: **DGM belongs to Hoshino-sensei.

Mystery 6

Even though the cafeteria was Allen's favourite place in the Order, he had to admit that even the place looked rather creepy when it is closed at night. It was the exact opposite of the hustle and bustle during the day. Neatly arranged rows of tables and chairs occupied most of the space in the cafeteria, casting shadows into every corner in the moonlight. It felt as though something strange would jump out any moment. Allen did not want to enter the cafeteria by himself but his rational mind took over soon enough.

_This is idiotic. There's nothing to be afraid of here._

Allen took a tentative step further into the cafeteria, looking into the shadows, just in case. Just then, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Spinning around quickly, he realized who it was and relaxed.

"Oh, it's just you."

"What did you mean by that? Did you think I was a ghost? That's just mean." Lavi said, sounding offended.

"I'm sorry, Lavi. It's just that the investigations the past few days seemed to have put me on edge." Allen apologized, laughing in embarrassment as he did so.

"Allen, Lavi. I'm so sorry we're late." Both of them turned towards the direction of the voice and saw Lenalee half-walking, half-running towards them. Komui and Reever were behind her, and seemed to be arguing about something.

"Did you wait long?" Lenalee asked when she reached the two youths.

"Not really." Allen replied.

"I just got here." Lavi said.

"We wouldn't be late if this person here didn't search through all his rubbish to find a net." Reever said exasperatedly.

"I couldn't find it anywhere…" Komui added, sounding disappointed. "But I found a flashlight!" he added.

While Reever was explaining, Lavi had already entered the cafeteria, trying to find a good hiding place so that they could wait for their 'Forest Fairy' to appear. The rest of the group joined him when they noticed what he was doing. After some time, he found a spot that wasn't that near the entrance but near enough to the kitchen counter where Jeryy said the ingredients would appear. It was also sufficiently blocked by the tables and chairs so that they were well hidden. The moon was also partially covered by clouds so only a little moonlight shone through the windows.

"Let's hide here." Lavi said and crouched down on the floor. The rest of the group followed suit and before long, all of them were sitting on the floor, waiting for their target to appear.

*******

_Half an hour later_

"I can't believe all of you actually have the patience to do this every night." Lavi said, half in disbelief, half in admiration.

"You don't have to sugar coat your words, Lavi. It's more of that we have nothing better to do." Reever replied. He sounded rather tired.

"Oh really? Even so, this is taking quite some time, isn't it?"

"Now that you mention it, it is taking longer than usual, the occurrence always happens rather quickly." Allen said.

"Maybe the Forest Fairy is shy?" Komui theorized.

"Yeah right, if there is a Forest Fairy and if it is shy, it wouldn't know that we're here. So I don't think…"

"Shh!" Lavi said urgently. A silhouette had appeared at the entrance of the cafeteria, and even though it was larger than Jeryy imagined it, it was carrying a basket, just like what was stated. Everyone lay still and took care not to make any noise at the figure approached the kitchen counter and put the basket on top.

"Is that the fairy?" Lenalee whispered.

"It's pretty large for a fairy." Komui answered, at an equally low volume.

"I thought fairies have wings." Allen commented.

"I thought fairies were female. This one looks pretty flat." Lavi said.

"Guys…" Reever sighed.

A few tense moments passed before the shape finally turned around, with its back facing them. It was then Lavi decided to take some action, they couldn't let this 'Forest Fairy' get away. He jumped out from his hiding place and shouted,

"Ah, Forest Fa…?!"

There was a blinding flash of moonlight reflecting off metal and Lavi felt a cold chill as the metal stopped in front of him. At the same time, Komui switched the flash light and shone it at the figure. The piece of steel withdrew and the figure moved its hands to block the light from its face. Lavi stared at the now revealed 'fairy'.

"Eh? Yuu?!"

"Rabbit?" Kanda exclaimed in equal surprise."What the hell are you doing out…" Then Kanda's gaze shifted towards all the people standing behind Lavi. From Lavi's point of view, if Kanda's expression could be described in two words, it would be 'Oh crap.'

*******

"Kanda, is that basket yours?" Lenalee asked. She just wanted to know, although the answer was rather obvious.

Giving Kanda all credit, he didn't panic like how normal people should when the cat's out of the bag. But he did run. Or at least he tried to.

"Where do you think you're going, Kanda-kun?" Komui asked. Reever sweared that he felt some sort of dangerous aura from Komui, the kind that was exuded when Komui saw someone getting too close to Lenalee.

"Back to my room." Kanda replied, before walking off. But once again, Komui proved that he could be really fast when he wanted to be. In two strides, he had already caught up to Kanda and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Kanda- kun, is that basket yours?" There was some vile menace in that smile of Komui's.

"It's none of your business." Kanda replied before trying to get Komui to let go. But it was no use, Komui had a vice grip. "I found it…lying around." Kanda finally answered, not as truthfully as he should, of course.

"And?"

"I thought it belonged to the kitchen. So…I'm just putting it back."

"Kanda-kun, do you know you're very bad at lying?" Lenalee pointed out.

"Now, now Kanda-kun, it's not good to hide things from people. Assuming you were telling the truth just now, what were you doing out at night in the first place?"

"I…came to get something to eat."

(Cue the looks which basically meant "Yeah right" on everybody's faces.)

"You know, if you were Allen, or me, that answer would have been more convincing. But since it's you we're talking about…" Lavi pointed out matter-of-factly.

"If you guys already know the answer, then why are you asking me in the first place?" Kanda asked irritated.

"That's because we want to hear it from you, Kanda-kun. So, can you tell us?" Lenalee answered, smiling encouragingly. "We promise we won't tell anyone, not even Jeryy."

That was when Lavi confirmed, that no one, not even Kanda, could resist Lenalee when she acted this way.

"….whatever."

******

"Wow…I would never have thought that there would be a garden in that forest." Lavi commented once Kanda was done explaining.

"So you grew everything yourself, Kanda-kun?" Lenalee asked, smiling happily. It was rare to hear Kanda talk about himself at all.

"Yes, can I go now?" Kanda asked, getting more annoyed by the second. Without waiting for an answer, he turned around and walked toward the entrance of the cafeteria. As Kanda approached the entrance, he stopped, like he just remembered something.

"If I hear anything about this spoken again, I swear I'll…"

"You won't have to. I promise that all our lips are sealed." Lenalee answered, interrupting Kanda before he could get any threat out. From her point of view, Kanda seemed to relax a bit before he turned the corner and left.

******

"Even with all the fake mysteries so far, I didn't expect this at all. Who would have thought Kanda-kun had a garden?" Komui commented with an evil glint in his eyes.

"Nii-san, you can't tell anyone, okay?" Lenalee said rather sternly.

"Of course!" Komui replied, but added in a lower volume, "But that doesn't mean I can't tease him about it." Unfortunately, Lenalee heard the second sentence.

"Nii-san!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Don't get angry okay?"

"Hmph."

"So with six mysteries down, what's the last one?" Allen asked, changing the topic.

"Oh right. I almost forgot, with all that just happened." Taking out the piece of paper, Komui scanned through the last entry. "Well, we're on the last one now."

"Thank god, finally. I can't wait for this to be over." Reever said in relief. The investigations from the last few days were already taking a toll on his body. "So what is it?"

"It says something about a strange smell coming from one of the storerooms where the research data is kept. The witnesses who smelled it said that it smelled like rotting corpses but no one has had the courage to open up the room to check, fearing that it might be really be a dead body in there."

Listening to the mystery, Reever suddenly had a serious expression on his face.

"We have to check that one out. Knowing the Science Department, the possibility of someone dying from exhaustion is very high."

"And not being discovered?" Allen asked, horrified.

"And not being discovered." Reever said seriously.

"Please tell me you're kidding." Lavi said nervously.

"He's not kidding. It's true. So we'll just have to search the storerooms tomorrow." Komui said dismissively.

**pika318: **Yeah, like most of you expected throughout the course of this story, I was going to make Kanda appear someday, but I wonder if this was the way you expected it. ^_^ For your information, it was mentioned in the fanbook that Kanda's hobby is gardening, which spawned this idea.  
On a side note, since I wrote a non-serious story about Kanda's gardening, Moko-chan now has no motivation to write a serious angst introspect on Kanda when he's gardening. I'm still in the process of convincing her and would like some help. So if you want her to write that chapter, can you please let me know? I need votes!

Oh yes, if any of you were wondering why the number of crops were so few that Jeryy thought it was a forest fairy, it's just that I don't think Kanda can grow a lot of things. His garden can't be that big, so else it wouldn't have avoided detection. It's tucked somewhere inside that forest surrounding the Order building.


	19. Mystery 7

**pika318: **Yay! This is the last mystery! This one is about a possible dead body. Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **DGM belongs to Hoshino-sensei, who is finally ending her hiatus on 17 August.

Mystery 7

"Now that we're here, I'm suddenly reminded that there are this many rooms to search." Reever commented, sighing as he did so.

"Reever, the night is still young! We'll just open every door until we find the corpse!" Komui said energetically.

"Do you know how many doors there are down this corridor? It'll take us forever." Reever said.

"There's a better way than opening all the doors. We'll just walk down the corridor and open the door where the smell is the strongest. It did say in the note that the scientists didn't open the door, but detected the smell, right?" Lavi suggested.

"You have a point there. I guess doing that would work." Komui said.

"It would save us a lot of time." Allen said, agreeing.

"Should we go then?" Lenalee asked.

*****

As the group walked down the corridor, the three young exorcists realized why the scientists would think that it was possible for someone to die here without knowing it. The tiled floor and walls, though cracked, were so clean that no one would suspect that there would be a dead body. In addition, the metal doors only had small windows and were very effective in hiding what was in the room.

Eventually, the smell grew stronger and the group reached a section of the corridor near the main staircase where the smell was strongest. Just like what was written in the note, the sour smell could easily be taken to come from a rotting corpse. All of them covered their nose and mouth with their hands so as not to breathe in too much of the odour. There were three identical looking doors facing them.

"So this is it?" Reever asked.

"I think so. The smell is too strong to tell which of the three rooms has the corpse." Komui said.

"Since we narrowed down the number of rooms already, we'll just open every one." Lavi said, before reaching out to the nearest doorknob. Turning the doorknob, he pushed the door open and was shocked at what he saw. Before coming out for the investigation, he was already mentally prepared to find a dead body or any weird things since it was the storeroom of the Science Department, but this room…

"What's up with all these racks of clothes?!" Lavi half-exclaimed.

Numerous racks were lined up in the room and hanging off every single one of them were clothes of just about every design. There were Victorian dresses, tuxedos, military uniforms, casual clothes, maid uniforms and so on.

The rest of the group looked into the room and were equally shocked.

"Wow…I've never even seen some of these clothes before. There's even one rack over there with clothes that look like Exorcist uniforms. There're rose crosses on them." Allen said in awe.

"Could it be Johnny's collection then? He makes the uniforms for us after all." Lenalee asked.

"Maybe…" Lavi replied.

"Why don't we check out the next room? If this is really Johnny's things, then we shouldn't touch them." Reever said. He knew that Johnny can be rather obsessive when he comes to his hobby.

"True." Komui said. Moving to the next room on the left, Komui opened the door, looked at what was inside, and closed it almost immediately.

"Nii-san, what's wrong?" Lenalee asked.

"…It's nothing, Lenalee. Let's go to the last room."

"Are you sure? You looked really scared when you opened that door just now." Lenalee said, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." Komui replied. But Lenalee could still detect some nervousness in her brother's voice.

"If there's something in there that's bothering you, then we should remove it, nii-san." Lenalee said, before turning the doorknob to the middle door.

"Lenalee, it's fine…" Komui started to say, but Lenalee had already opened the door. As the door swung open, everyone in the corridor saw the piles and piles of metal which stacked from floor to ceiling. From the rubble, they could see a few heads, and the design was just like the Komuirins that Komui liked to make so much.

"Is that the head of Komuirin one, two and three I see?" Reever said and he looked through the rubble. "Didn't I tell you to get rid of them?" Reever asked, with a dark look on his face.

"I did. That's why they're here right?" Komui replied, backing off slightly.

"I told you to scrap them! This is not scrapping them. You were supposed to melt them and use the metal to make something more useful. Not to turn this room into some sort of robot graveyard!" Reever shouted angrily.

"I'm sorry." Komui squeaked. "I just can't bear to throw my precious inventions away."

"Nii-san…"

"Yes?"

"Tomorrow, you are going to do as Reever-san says and get rid of them, okay?" Lenalee said, smiling as she did so. But beneath that smile, there was a subtle murderous aura that could chill anyone to the bone. Komui was no exception.

"If Lenalee says so…" Komui finally surrendered.

"Good. Now let's go to the last room." Lenalee said, before walking towards the last door.

"Erm, Lenalee, can you wait a while? I just remembered something." Allen said, stopping Lenalee in her tracks.

******

Since earlier, Allen had been bothered by the fact that he seemed to be forgetting something. It was only until Lavi opened the first door did Allen finally remember finding that room when he came here earlier.

"What is it, Allen-kun?" Lenalee asked, curious and worried at why Allen seemed so uneasy.

"Er…the truth is...in that last room, I actually…threw leftover food inside." Allen admitted, guilt evident on his face.

"What?!" Everyone else in the group exclaimed. Allen continued explaining.

"It's...it's just that I always take a lot of food from the cafeteria, right? And after I finished eating, there would always be food waste left. And you know I'm really bad at directions...so I couldn't find my way back to the cafeteria and..so I left it there. So that might have caused the smell…" Allen trailed off at the end as he observed the reactions of the rest of the group. They looked rather horrified.

"That's irresponsible, Allen!" Lavi said, half in shock, half in disbelief.

"I know. I'm sorry." Allen apologized, embarrassed.

"We'll have to clean it up." Lenalee stated and opened the door. As Lenalee found the light switch and turned it on, what she saw was not piles of food like she expected, but a clean floor.

"Eh?" Lenalee said, rather surprised.

"Where did all the food go?" Lavi asked.

"I swear the food was still there when I left it here a few days ago." Allen said, staring at disbelief at the clean floor.

"The smell's still there though." Reever said.

"Strange…" Komui said.

The group looked nervously at each other. Did they actually have a true mystery on their hands?

"You know, even though this is really mysterious, I really don't want to know the truth behind this." Komui said.

"Agreed." Reever said.

"I can't imagine how the food would have disappeared unless, well, there's something with a bottomless pit in here?" Lavi suggested.

"If there is, I think we should just leave it alone. We don't want to get eaten up too, right?" Komui said, gulping.

"Agreed." Reever said. Lenalee, Allen and Lavi nodded in agreement and Komui switched off the lights, and then closed the door quietly.

******

Once the door closed and darkness engulfed the room once more, two red glowing eyes appeared in the corner of the room.

'Obtaining sample of surrounding air.'

'Analysing air sample.'

'Foreign molecule detected. Assessed to be unpleasant to human senses.'

'Initialising cleaning mode. Activating air freshener.'

As the entity moved away from the shadows, the symbol of 'IV' could be seen on its head. Holding up a can of air freshener, it sprayed a generous amount around the room.

'Cleaning complete.'

With that, Komurin Four moved back into the corner of the room, waiting for another chance to clean.

******

_The next day_

As Reever and Komui cleaned out the room with Komuirin rubble, Lenalee, Allen and Lavi tagged along, hoping to get rid of the smell.

"I've noticed since just now, but the smell seems to be gone." Allen commented.

"Me too." Lavi said as he opened the door to the origin of the odour. True enough, the smell was gone.

"That's strange. The smell was really strong yesterday." Lenalee said, confused.

"Well, since it's gone, I guess we don't need to worry so much." Allen said cheerfully.

"But Allen-kun, don't throw food here next time, okay? It's really inconsiderate." Lenalee chided.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it next time."

Meanwhile, a figure watched them from a distance, observing their every move. It was particularly interested in the Komurin rubble that was getting thrown away.

"Zo you are going to forget about your failed attempts like you did with us? Udforgibable. Zomeday, you will regret it. I will make zure that in ze end, I will win. All of you will stay with me forever, zo you can't forget...no matter what."

**pika318: **Hehe...I ended on a rather strange note. The figure at the end was the ghost from the zombie arc, if any of you haven't figured it out. Did anyone expect Komuirin IV for the last mystery? Those who watched the anime should remember the little guy who put makeup on everyone in the room except Lenalee. Anyway, this is the last chapter for this arc, so Moko-chan will be taking over from now on. Thank you for all the support you have given this story so far. *bows


	20. Orders

Moko-Chan: *Ahem* Yeah, I'm back. For a while. If I don't get these thoughts out, I'll daydream in the middle of the road. I hope you all enjoyed the 7 Mysteries. Welcome back DGM!

DGM belongs to Hoshino Katsura

*******************************

Out of the corner of his eye, the red coats went past the doorway of the cafeteria.

_Should I speak with them? No. I must speak with them. I have to know why._

Howard Link shot a quick glance at his charge, Allen Walker, who was at the moment, munching on a gigantic sandwich stuffed with nothing but meat, cheese, sauce and so on. Basically no vegetables. Timcanpi was eating off the other end.

_It's only for a short while. I'm sure even the Inspector would overlook this._

The other exorcists were sitting around Allen, it was not as if he was leaving Allen alone. If something were to happen, the other exorcists can handle it.

"Stay here, Walker." Link said hurriedly as he got up from his seat.

"Course'!" Allen managed to say after swallowing a large mouthful of sandwich. "I'm still eating!" He shouted at Link's retreating back.

As Link left the cafeteria, he heard Lavi suggesting, cheekily and as a joke, that the watchdog has left and maybe Allen should just run away. Allen laughed it off saying that he does not want to trouble other people.

********************************

"Madarao!" Link shouted, catching the attention of the group of so-called third Exorcists. They always travel in a group. Not once were any of them seen alone. The third exorcists halted in their tracks and turned around.

They stared at him with eyes that were no longer human. Even when they were just Crows, at least their gazes were, cold as they may be, human. But now, all their eyes were those of beasts. Eyes that Link can no longer recognize.

"What is it?" Madarao asked.

Link paused, losing himself in his thoughts.

_He sounds different now. He sounds like a machine, if machines could speak._

"I want to ask about something."

Madarao cocked his head a bit, somewhat curiously. Without even looking at the others, he made a hand signal which meant for them to leave him first.

"Would it be alright?" Tawako, his sister asked. It should be out of concern but it definitely did not sound like it. It sounded flat and emotionless.

"Howard Link is not an exorcist. He cannot affect me." The older brother replied.

Tawako nodded, as did the rest and they turned and left. After they were out of earshot, Link started his questioning.

"Why did you do it?" Link asked. Only after asking did Link realize how vague he sounded, as if afraid to know the whole truth. "Why did you allow Dark Matter to be put into you?"

"Why did I allow Dark Matter to be put into me?" Madarao repeated the question slowly, to take his time to find a good answer. "I didn't."

"What?"

"I didn't allow it. I was ordered to have Dark Matter put into me."

"And you didn't do anything?!" Link shouted in disbelief. He could not imagine why anyone would put something so poisonous into themselves.

" Orders. You should know that better than me. Orders are absolute." Madarao replied.

_Orders are absolute. The unspoken motto of the Crows. It doesn't matter who or what the target is, when, where and how to commence action. You just follow and get the job done. _Link thought. He used to cling onto this rule tightly and follow it like the religious to their holy books, but now, now he is starting to have second, and perhaps third thoughts about it.

"Did anyone die from it?" Link asked. His voice was quavering. It was difficult to calm down.

"None that you should care about. You were not supposed to care in the first place." Madarao replied, as emotionless as before.

"Who died?"

"You can't expect success in the first try. I and the rest are perhaps their fourth, maybe fifth attempt."

"I'm asking you," Link shouted angrily, furious as the other Crow for avoiding his questions, "Who died from the experiment?!"

"Why are you so angry?" Madarao questioned coldly.

"I'm the one asking questions here." Link retorted. Then he felt Madarao looking hard at him. Like how a predator does his prey. Maybe it was a Crow habit.

"Don't tell me you're feeling guilty?" Every word that came out was condescending.

Link was taken aback. Was that what he was feeling all along? That feeling of pain and worry.

"You can't possibly be thinking 'If I hadn't brought the egg fragment, if I hadn't followed orders given to me, this wouldn't have happened.'" Madarao chuckled, as if treating the entire thing as a joke.

"You all knew that it was I who brought the egg."

"We did. All the Crows knew. Indeed, what we discussed was correct. That Allen Walker is poisonous." Madarao said.

"What do you mean by that?" Link demanded.

"You have been with him for too long. You're getting soft, Howard Link, do you realize that? Last time you would not even have the feelings of guilt or question the actions of the Black Order."

"Anyone would feel guilty if they realized that their comrades got turned into Akuma because of them."

"Comrades? That's the first time you uttered that word as well. You've changed."

There was a long awkward silence as Link tried to find another line to throw at Madarao but it was the latter who spoke first.

"I'll be taking my leave. You have a child to watch."

"Wait! I'm not done yet!" Link stepped towards Madarao to stop him from leaving but was stopped instead as Madarao raised his arm and put his palm in front of Link's face.

"You _are_ done." Madarao hissed. He lowered his arm and said in a somewhat gentler tone, "If it brings any comfort to you, we are grateful to become third exorcists. Our families were slaughtered brutally by Akuma and this is the only time we are given the ability to do something."

"You are now scarcely different from the ones that killed your family. You're part Akuma!" Link argued back.

"But the thought of not being able to take revenge is far more tormenting." Madarao pointed out.

Link stood there gritting his teeth as Madarao started to walk away. Then Madarao paused and said something else.

"Ah, I forgot to mention. You are indeed lucky."

"How so?"

"You might have been one of the experiments," Madarao said, with a slight smile, "If you weren't watching Allen Walker." He then walked away.

Link tuned on his heel and stormed back to the cafeteria.

**************************************

Omake (Ok, sort of)

Lavi: Someone looks pissed.

Link: I do not.

Lavi: Yes you do.

Link: *glares*

Allen: Have some ice-cream. ^_^

Link: (Looks at ice-cream)

Allen: ^_^

Link: (Takes ice-cream)

Lavi: Two-point is really like a watchdog. Up to wagging his tail happily at the sight of treats.

Link: (Throws ice-cream at Lavi)

Allen: DON'T WASTE IT! T_T

************************************

Moko-chan: University is so busy....Sigh. Hoshino is rushing through DGM...sigh. The spoilers are so epic, a wide scale war already...sigh. DGM is moving to Jump square supposedly which means DGM is monthly...Oh well. Better than her falling sick all the time. Read and review.


	21. Warashi

Moko-Chan: OMG!!! I've been gone for so long. Finally managed to find some time and motivation to do this.

DGM belongs to Hoshino Katsura.

This chapter is going to be somewhat boring because the majority is told from the POV of a character I made up.

**************************************************************

_That _room was supposed to be empty. At least that was what 7-winters old Yasukiyo thought. But just the previous night, he saw a shadow flitting into _that _room. He had asked his mother what the room was for, why that room only had tatami mats and nothing else decorating its bare walls. Their house was pretty small too so why keep an unused room? The mother smiled and told him to keep watch and find out for himself.

The boy crouched behind a huge vase (It's empty. It used to have flowers) and stared intensely at the "tatami room" while trying not to nod off.

_Mother must be hiding something inside. Maybe it's an animal._ He secretly hoped that it was a puppy. It would be a great gift for his upcoming birthday.

"Hee hee hee…" A young child's giggling drifted to his ears. Yasukiyo turned but saw no one. When he turned back, he saw a bunch of colours in front of the room. It was a small kimono-clad girl. She slid open the door, looked into the room, shrieked in glee and ran in. Yasukiyo gasped.

_A thief!_

"Mother! Mother!" The boy yelled as he ran, half-stumbling, to his mother's room. "There's a thief! A girl!"

The mother opened her door and looked down at her panting son. She asked in a reassuring voice, "Is it the "tatami room"?"

"Yes!"

"Then it's okay." The mother walked back into her room and carried a small bag. "Shall we go look together, Yasu-kun?"

Yasukiyo stared at his mother in confusion.

"Who is she?"

"A youkai. (Demon)"

"What? Then won't she eat us?"

The mother laughed. "The Zashiki Warashi is a good Youkai. She just wants to eat sweets. Come on, let's go."

Yasukiyo followed his mother back to the "tatami room". Upon reaching the outside of the room, his mother took out the small bag and scattered its contents on the wooden boarding outside the door. It was flour.

"What's that for?" Yasukiyo asked, curious.

"It's just something for us to know if Zashiki Warashi came. If she came, we'll see her footprints."

"Is it important?"

"Zashiki Warashi's presence can protect us and bring us good fortune. I put sweets in the room to attract her here."

"No fair." Yasukiyo grumbled. "You never give me sweets."

"Because you'll eat too much of it and hurt your stomach." The mother pointed out. "Now you know who's been coming, why not go to sleep? It's very late."

"Okay."

*****************************************************************************

The next morning, when Yasukiyo went to inspect the flour, there were indeed tiny footprints there.

_Nothing to be afraid of. She's just a little girl who brings good luck. _He thought.

Zashiki Warashi came every day until a few weeks later…

****************************************************************************

"Mother, she didn't come." Yasukiyo said, a bit disappointed.

"Really?"

"There are no footprints."

"I see, maybe she got sick of the sweets I'm giving." The mother said jokingly.

"Then we won't have good luck anymore?"

"Only for a while." The mother replied, stroking her son's head. "Zashiki Warashi cannot just give good fortune to us. There are other people out there who need it."

"Like?"

"Like the people whose homes have been attacked by monsters. They need the good fortune more than us, don't you think?"

Yasukiyo nodded slowly.

"Now, Yasu-kun is a kind boy so you'll wait for her to come back, right?"

"Yep!"

**************************************************************************

It's been almost a week since Zashiki Warashi stopped showing up so Yasukiyo decided to do something about it. He snuck out of his room quietly with a bowl of sweets in hand. He bought those sweets from the market himself; they were the kind he liked. He wanted to replace the ones his mother put out.

_Maybe Zashiki Warashi would like these kinds better. _

He went to the "tatami room" and was in for a surprise. On the flour covered floor was, imprinted very clearly, prints. They weren't footprints though. What he expected to see were small footprints like the ones he makes, not some weird shapes that looked like an egg plant and a half circle. (A bit weird here, dear readers, just imagine what an eggplant plus a half circle looks like.) Yasukiyo went to his mother's room to ask.

"Mother? Are you awake?" Yasukiyo asked. He slid the door upon and found his mother lying in her futon.

"Mother?" He shook his mother. "Zashiki Warashi came back." He shook her again, harder this time, but she did not rouse.

_Maybe mother is just tired._ Yasukiyo touched his mother's face. It was cold. He pulled his mother's blanket to cover her better and went to look for the Zashiki Warashi himself.

_I'll tell mother tomorrow._

**************************************************************************

"Youkai-san…" Yasukiyo called out softly as he entered the "tatami room" slowly and cautiously. "Are you in there?"

Then he heard laughing coming from above him. He looked up and saw a girl sitting on a folded umbrella. This girl looked a lot different from Zashiki Warashi. For starters, she wasn't wearing a kimono but some strange garment which was definitely showing a lot of leg. His mother would have disapproved of it. She had said it wasn't proper for women to show too much skin.

"Eh, Youkai san?"

The girl looked down at him, staring with a twisted smile on her face. Yasukiyo could feel a chilling aura coming from her. He shivered.

"What do you want?" The girl asked.

"Are you Zashiki Warashi?"

The girl laughed. She laughed till she looked like she was going to fall off the umbrella, which she apparently did. And landed behind Yasukiyo. He felt her hands touching his cheeks and wrist and then her nails dug into his skin. He wanted to run but couldn't move at all. Small drops of blood oozed out of the wounds.

"Of course not." The girl hissed into his ear. "I'm much more powerful and real than a half-assed demon you humans made up."

"Wh…who…" Yasukiyo stammered.

"Say, boy." The girl said, her voice smooth like melted candy but chilling like ice, "Do you want to play with me?"

"N…No…I don't…want to." Yasukiyo was trembling like an autumn leaf. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes.

"Sorry." The girl said evilly "I don't take no for an answer."

******************************************************************************

"Ah…" Road Camelot whined. "Another doll broke. They're so weak. That's why I rather play with Exorcists."

"Road-tama, we have to go back. Lero." Lero complained. "You told your mother you were just taking that mutt for a walk. Lero."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." She said dismissively eating another sweet from the bowl. "I was bored. Mmm, this tastes nice." Then she looked around.

"Hey, where's Alex?"

"Dunno, Lero."

"ALEX!" Road shouted. A whimpering was heard and a huge white dog trotted into the "tatami room". The dog's muzzle was stained red. Road smacked the dog lightly in the nose.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to eat everything you see?! Humans are the most disgusting!" Road chided the dog. He let out a high pitched whine. "Hmph, let's go. We'll have to get a Skull to wash you up."

A door rose from the ground and the girl, umbrella and dog disappeared into it.

*****************************************************************************

The next morning, a neighbour found the dead woman and her son. He shook his head sadly and went to get help for their final rites.

****************************************************************************

Moko-chan: OKAY! DONE!!!! Please read and review. I know this chapter is well, out there. I was inspired to write this just by reading a book about Youkai. Could you believe that?


	22. Prank

**Moko-Chan**: Heh…Took a long time to update again… Too busy, can't help it.

**Disclaimer:**DGM belongs to Hoshino –sensei. Please take care of yourself!

Chapter 22: Prank

"Soba again?"

Kanda didn't turn around. He knew exactly who would have the nerve and not to mention "nosiness" to poke into what he has for his meals.

"Don't you ever eat anything else?" The meddlesome person asked.

"And how is that your business?" The Japanese youth retorted, still not turning around.

"Well…" The other youth started saying, in a sing-song tone. "It's not my business at all…"

Much to Kanda's annoyance, the meddlesome rabbit, a.k.a Lavi, put a plate piled with spaghetti, minced beef, tomato sauce, mushrooms, corn, cheese and onion slices on the table and sat down to his left.

"But you should really eat more, don't you think? Soba isn't exactly 'packed with nutrition'." Lavi commented.

Kanda put his chopsticks down. He had not touched his food yet, which was a good decision. The strong smell from the spaghetti would ruin the taste of the soba. He was already tempted to move really far away.

"What?" Lavi said in a mocking tone upon noticing that Kanda wasn't eating. "Could it be that the awe-inspiring Yuu can't stand something as harmless as a little spaghetti?"

"Shut the hell up." Kanda snapped.

"Which is why I'm saying that you should stop sticking to eating something so bland."

"I said shut up."

Before Lavi could follow up with another remark, he heard someone calling him.

"Hey, Lavi!"

It was Johnny, who was holding a finely embroidered headband. He went over to the table where Lavi and Kanda were.

"Hi, Kanda-kun." Johnny greeted when he approached. Kanda responded with a slight nod. Then Johnny started talking excitedly to Lavi about how proud he was of his handiwork and how well it would match Lavi and so on and so forth.

Meanwhile, Kanda picked up his chopsticks. The smell of the Italian pasta was rather tolerable after a while but he still felt annoyed by the other youth. He eyed the Italian pasta.

_Doubt he'll notice._

**********

"Thanks Johnny!" Lavi exclaimed cheerfully as he kept his new bandana in his pocket. "Why can't you be as nice as him?" He couldn't resist adding.

Kanda didn't say anything as he finished the last of his soba.

"Oh well, time to eat." Lavi picked up his fork and spoon, mixed the spaghetti and its ingredients up and took a big mouth full.

"Mmm, itsh reowwy nishe. You shoul troy itsh." (It's really nice, you should try it)." Lavi said with his mouth still full, then he noticed a fleeting smirk on Kanda's face.

_Did I just imagine that?_

And then, among the taste of tomato, cheese, pasta, onion, mushrooms and meat, a stronger, more foreign taste took over. It was not like onion or pepper, which burned the throat or chilli that burnt the lips and tongue. It was much worse. The taste just hit the back of his throat and rushed into his nasal cavity. Lavi paled.

_This taste…Horse radish… WASABI!!!!!_

And much to Kanda's amusement, Lavi jumped out of his seat and ran for the taps. And to his further amusement, he actually came back.

"Yo…You…You…" Lavi stammered as he pointed an accusing finger at Kanda.

"What? I don't understand idiot." Kanda said, smirking.

"You demon! You put wasabi in my spaghetti!"

"You can't prove it."

"Yes I can!" Lavi grabbed the cup of soba sauce. "Ah-ha! There's no wasabi inside!"

"I ate it."

"There's no way you could have, liar!"

"Whatever." Kanda said dismissively and picked up his used utensils. "So it's not bland, is it?" He added and walked off, leaving Lavi behind.

Later, after recovering from the shock and the aftertaste of the wasabi, Lavi took his plate of spaghetti and went to ask Jeryy for another 'untainted' plate.

And that was how Lavi developed a fear for wasabi.

**********

_Maybe I should sneak something into Daisya's food too._

*********

**Moko-Chan**: Yayz…Done. Tired. Fortunately, my exams are finally over. Phew. Anyways some notes.

Wasabi is put into soba sauce. It doesn't dissolve but breaks up into chunks.

You can't mix Wasabi very well in thick sauce such as spaghetti sauce so Lavi got a huge chunk.

I think I think too much about food. I credit Lavi's reaction to my friend who described to me why she hates wasabi. I, myself on the other hand, like soba with wasabi very much.


	23. Warmth

Moko-Chan:DGM belongs to Hoshino Katsura. And Moko-chan is tired. Zzzz

* * *

_Don't look at me!_

The boy shuffled on his hands and feet to the far corner, protecting himself with the darkness. The ugly purple and green stripes just continued bouncing in front of him, the long black stick pointing right at his chest.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is a child which God has forsaken."

_Stop looking at me!_

The curious faces pressed against the bars, searching wildly to catch a glimpse of the novelty. The faces protested angrily, moaning and roaring as the shadows continued to hide the child's body.

"Oho! This little devil is trying to hide." The purple and green stripes stuck his stick into the bars and hooked onto the rope tethering the child.

"Come out here!" The ringmaster yelled as he yanked the rope and pulled the boy into where the candles' light could illuminate. He landed face first into the pungent and filthy hay.

_STOP IT!_

The boy tried to go back to the safe darkness but just one mobile arm was not enough for him to beat the strength of the ringmaster and the rope around his throat.

"See this! The devil's child!" Purple and green stripes declared, arms outstretched like a proud artist showing off his art.

Men backed up, women screamed, their hands covering their own mouth to muffle the sound, some dragged their children a bit closer into their protective embraces. They whispered softly to each other, some making signs to ward off the imaginary evil. They glanced and pointed at the boy in the cage. They pointed at the blood red arm of an otherwise normal looking child.

"The arm of the Devil himself!" shouted the stripes.

The crowd roared and squealed in horror.

The child tried to stand but the rope, now pinned down by the walking stick kept him on the floor. He raised his head a little only to see the audience recoiling.

_Don't look at me if you're so scared. What's wrong with all of you?!_

He used his normal arm to cover his eyes. He did not want to see the red arm either. Only that, unlike for the other people, that arm belonged to him.

* * *

_The circus deserves to die, everyone deserves to die, the whole world deserves to die!_

The boy sat at the corner of the tent using pieces of damp rag to distract himself from the throbbing pain from the newly formed bruises.

Which was worst? Being stuck in a disgusting cage with little food and water or being an errand boy with a useless hand? Not that it mattered much to the child. He did not have much say in the matter in the first place.

The people have raised issues about him, the "Devil's Child". They brought matters to the church and higher authorities, accusing the traveling circus of forming contracts with Satan himself. The ringmaster, fearing prosecution and possible allegations of witchcraft, pulled the boy from the cell and made him do odd jobs instead of staying a sideshow display.

_Especially that bastard Cosmos, he deserves to go to hell most of all._

The boy pressed another rag onto his face. Ever since he's become the errand boy, he has also become the outlet for some of the members of the circus to vent their stress and anger. Anyone would have thought against thrashing a child, but those members did not.

_No one loves me anyway. So everyone can just die._

There were footsteps outside the tent. Heavy footsteps.

_Damn, he's back._

"Allen! You little bastard! Where are you?! Get your puny little ass out here!" The boy cannot see the expression that clown was having now but whatever it was, it was probably a twisted and contorted red and white mockery of a human face.

_Leave me alone._

The boy gathered up the dirty rags, contemplating stuffing them down the clown's throat. It was a pleasant thought for him but there was no way someone his size could do something like that and get away with it. Furthermore, his paralysed hand was not going to be able to do anything.

"If I find you, I swear I'm going to thrash you so bad that…" The threat didn't come out complete. The sound of a canine growling interrupted the clown.

"You damn mutt! Who the hell do you think you're growling at?" The boy heard the clown yell. The canine barked loudly, snarled and then the man was heard hollering.

"YOU DAMN MUTT!" There was more growling and the clown left, the sound of his footfalls fading fast.

The boy stared at the opening of the tent as a furry head popped into the tent. The old thin dog stuck its tongue out.

"No one asked you for your help…"The boy muttered as the dog trotted over to him. It nudged his left arm. The ugly one.

"Leave me alone, you damn mutt." The boy said angrily. "You'll get infected."

The dog sniffed and nudged his arm again.

"Go away." And something wet came into contact with the blood red hand.

The boy backed up but the dog went closer and licked him again.

It stinks, it's wet but it was warm. This hand had not felt warmth before, no one had dared to touch it.

"Geez, you stink." The boy said, pushing the dog away.

_Fine, I guess you are an exception._

* * *

Pika 318: *Sniff* WAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Moko-chan: Zzzz….=_= huh?!

Pika 318: T_T

Moko-chan:疲れた。。。


	24. Redemption

**Moko-chan**: -man characters belong to Hoshino sensei. Yep, I'm actually writing a new chapter after so long. It's just that DGM has progressed to such an epic stage that I find it hard to write fanfiction. :p

* * *

_Annoying_.

That was the only word that could come to Bak Chan's mind as he stormed through the corridors of the Asian Branch.

Ever since _that incident_, the other members of the Asian branch had been bothering and badgering him, showering him with words of condolences.

**It must be a tough time for you.**

**Both your parents…****Wonderful people, they were excellent people, such a pity.**

**Going to follow your parents' footsteps?**

Well, maybe some were actually sincere but most of these words were just decorative masks to hide their own fear of the future.

**What's going to happen to the Order now?**

**That experiment has been**** put on hold…no, wait, it got cancelled, did you hear?**

**They're going to get rid of those… things. Your parents would be glad, those things took their life.**

Bak kept walking and ended in front of a vast metal door. He placed his hand on the cold door and let out a great sigh the North wind would have been proud of.

**There's still one of them…isn't there? They should have gotten rid of it as well…You hate those things too, don't you Bak?**

"_We were the ones who made them!"_

_I would have told them that…if I wasn't so low-ranked at the moment._

Bak looked at the door, pondering whether he should open it. The other scientists and staff members, except for Fou and old man Zuu, steered clear of the area around the door. Their paranoid hearts kept them away from it.

_Ah, screw it. If I don't __go in, how the hell am I going to speak with "him"? Telepathy? _

Bak smiled at the small ridiculous notion that he had.

He pushed the door open. At that moment, he swore he caught a faint fragrance of flowers.

"Oi." Bak called out to the small figure sitting on the floor, hugging his knees. There was a tray of food next to the figure. The food had not been touched.

_Man, this is the worst…_

Bak thought as he cautiously approached the figure.

* * *

_A while back…_

"Er…Bak-san…" said a Junior scientist who approached Bak.

"What?"

"Can you help me with something?"

"What would that be?" Bak asked.

"I need to pass a message to umm… " The junior scientist added meekly "that second exorcist…" and he mumbled a string of words which sound suspiciously like I'm-too-scared-to-do-it-and-i-think-that-I'm-too-young-to-lose-my-life.

"And what does that have to do with me? Why don't you ask Old Man Zuu?" Bak demanded.

"I did ask Old Man Zuu... but you know, he's constantly busy with the kitchen and is conveniently deaf at times…"

"And?"

"He said "Go ask my stupid grand nephew for help. He won't turn you down…"" At that sentence, the junior scientist backed up about five steps.

Bak put his fingers to his temples and massaged them.

"That…damn…old…man…"

"So..." The junior scientist almost squeaked out. "I'll handle it myself?"

Bak slammed the desk in front of him with his palm.

"Che. I'll do it. What's the message?"

* * *

_Maybe I should try a slightly different approach._

"Say, you didn't touch your food. You know, Old man Zuu's cooking is world famous. It's a pity if you just leave it there."

The conversation was left hanging as the other party remained silent.

_Great, another conveniently deaf one._

"Just because you can't die per se, it doesn't mean you can't experience the pain of starving." Bak decided to try the persuasion-through-warning approach.

Still no response.

"First you get abdominal pain, then your own stomach juices try to burn a hole in your stomach, your body produces toxins and your body literally eats itself…"

If Bak could split himself into two and listen to himself talk, he probably would have punched himself for saying such stupid things. And then dragged himself out of the room to beat himself up even more for even attempting to deal with such an uncooperative person. A frustrated Bak decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Why am I even trying to reason with a brat in the first place? A little snot-nosed-brat probably doesn't have the intellectual capacity to listen to reason any…WAYS? Before Bak could finish his villain-like monologue ranting, the supposed listener in question got up quickly and grabbed Bak's labcoat's collar.

"I am NOT a brat! I already died more times than YOU can cou-" The small Asian boy glared at Bak with a piercing gaze but suddenly it softened. Bak caught him mouthing the word "Edgar-san."

"Not" The boy added afterwards and released Bak's collar from his grip.

There was a heavy air of silence. Then Bak had to be the one to break it.

"It doesn't matter how times you died, Yuu. Anyone whose head is still below my chest is definitely a brat." Bak decided to point out even though he knew that _that_ would probably get him a death glare.

"And someone who doesn't know where babies come from is definitely 100% a brat."

_Now why the hell am I saying this?_

Yuu gave Bak a surprised look. "Who are you?"

"I'm Edgar Chan Martin and Douyi Chan's son. Err…My dad told me a few things about you and…the other child. You can call me Bak."

Upon hearing that, Yuu seemed to look sad. Perhaps remembering Bak's parents and his former friend was a painful thing.

"You're not scared of me?"

Bak laughed. "Why should I be? You're just a brat, after all."

"Stop with the "Brat thing", would you?" Yuu said in an annoyed manner. If he had a weapon, which fortunately, he did not possess at the moment, he would have hit the man in front of him with it.

"I met you before, haven't I? With that Gorilla sized guy?"

"Yeah, you did."

"How is he?"

"Hmm, Marie? He's fine. He's doing a lot better than expected actually considering that he was on the verge of death before meeting you."

"So what? You came here just to talk? Don't you have better things to do?"

"Oh right, someone wanted me to pass a message to you?" Bak said. "Let's see, what was it again? Oh right, a General would be coming tomorrow."

"So what?" Yuu asked.

"You're going to be his disciple." At this point, Yuu's eyes widened.

"WHAT?"

"Noise Marie is his disciple too so I don't think it's all that bad. At least you'll know someone already." Bak added, not-so-helpfully.

"That's not the point! Why the bloody hell do I need to be under a General? I know how to kill an AKUMA already."

"Other than that, you don't seem to know many other things. Anyway, aside from that, it's a unwritten rule that all Exorcist should be taken charge of by a General, especially the young ones."

Yuu looked like he was about to say something else when Bak interrupted him.

"I'm am only the messenger. If you have any complaints, take it to the people up there. Don't punish the middle-man."

"Che."

"Anyway, another message. This one is from me." Bak said.

"I will work my way to become the supervisor of the Black Order and I promise you that I'll work to the best of my abilities to make sure that experiments such as the one you went through will never happen again."

"…Pretty big words for a brat." Yuu smirked.

"I don't want to hear that coming from you." Bak muttered. "So, any more complaints? If not, I'm leaving."

"Scram."

"And finish your food." Bak said, smiling.

"Che. I said, scram."

Bak left the room and the vast door closed behind him.

_Well, that settles it._

* * *

Omake

Bak: Yuu, this guy's your new master

Tiedoll: So…

Bak and Yuu: ?

Tiedoll: CUTE! (Grab/hug)

Yuu: AGHH! NO! Get him away from me!

Bak: Sorry, as I said. I'm the middle-man.

Yuu: Damn You!

**Moko-chan**: Yep. End of another chapter. Man, I'm really running out of ideas here but I'll try my best.

Atashi wa ganbarimasu.

Enjoy.


	25. Omake 1?

**Moko-chan**: DGM characters are Hoshino's. Hers to love. Hers to torture. So the title to this chapter is Omake…so….you know it's not going to be really serious.

* * *

_Lavi and Bookman are here._ Allen thought. It has been a while since the white-haired boy had left the Black Order. He heard that both Bookmen have gone missing and from what Tyki decided to kindly tell him…

**Oh? You mean Eyepatch-kun and Panda eyes? They're with us. They're not doing so well, especially Eyepatch-kun.**

And the Noah was also "kind" enough to tell him where they were.

Allen quickly rushed to said location. There, he saw only Lavi sitting on a chair that looked like it could have came from Road's room. He was as pale as a ghost and his breathing was rough.

"Lavi!" Allen shouted.

Bookman Junior managed to move his head and look in Allen's direction.

"Allen? …Damn…what…the hell…are you dong here?" Lavi said. It seemed to take him a great effort just to talk.

"Lavi! Are you okay?"

"Me? Do… I look… okay?"

Allen looked down. He felt so helpless.

"I got…bloody…french kissed…by a ugly…Noah. If it…was….a ….hot babe…it wouldn't matter…if I died…"

Long epic silence.

"Sorry I asked…" Allen said.

* * *

**Moko-chan**: Sorry it was so lame.


	26. Broken Promises

**Pika318: **Oh my god…there was this drabble lying around in my computer which Moko-chan written a while back and I never posted it! She probably forgotten about it right now, seeing that it was written on 14th July, 2009 ORZ I'll just post it now. This drabble is based off "Before Allen Came" and "Black Flower and Butterfly", so if you have not read both of these fics, please don't read this first, or else you'll be confused. This does not take into account Hoshino's version of Kanda's past because this was written in 2009, okay?

**Disclaimer: **-man belongs to Hoshino-sensei.

* * *

**Chapter 26: **Broken Promises

* * *

_I hate naïve people like you!..._

He did it again. He let his anger get the better of him. Twice in one day too. When he'd never done so for years. There was something about this existence known as 'Allen Walker' that irritated the hell out of him.

'Allen Walker' was naïve. He thought that as long as he believed, tried his best and gave enough of his goodwill, everything will end well. That irritated Kanda. Reality never worked that way, when reality decided that you were their next target, they would do everything in their power to rob you of all you have, and wring you dry. Kanda knew that very well.

_But even more than that, I hate people who break their promises!_

Now why did he say that? Oh yes, because that baka moyashi was saying how he would protect Lala and Guzol but fell short halfway and almost got himself killed. That disgusted Kanda. If you had the heart to promise someone something, then you better have the ability to back it up. Did that guy even have any idea how hurt people can be when the promises to them were broken? Kanda knew, he knew very well.

_I promise I'll be with you and protect you, Yuu. I'm your older sister remember?_

Why was he thinking of this now? He didn't want to remember this. He didn't want to remember that this was the first promise to him which was broken, that in fact he had an older sister.

Had.

She ceased to be his older sister when she joined the Noah family and sold him to them. But he didn't think of it like that at that time. At that time, even when he was the Noah's 'pet', even when was forced to watch many people die in the hands of the Akuma, even when he was punished, he held a small hope that his sister still loved him, even if she never came to save him. Thinking about it many years later, he realized that he felt disgusted at himself, for believing in something that wasn't there.

* * *

_We will protect you, we promise._

Now when was this? This was the time when he just arrived at the Asian Branch after leaving Japan. He didn't trust anyone. He was afraid of getting hurt again. That was when someone told him this. He didn't want to believe that person at first, but somewhere in his confined heart, he wanted to believe. To believe that not everyone was like the Noahs, or his sister. He gradually opened up to them, accepting their care and protection.

But like always, reality was harsh.

When he grew a little older, he was picked to be one of the experimental subjects for the 'Artificial Apostle Project'. He was deceived by their honeyed words. "You'll be able to destroy akuma, you want that, don't you?" was what they said. He accepted, not knowing the truth. It was only after the experiment did he realize that he had lost more than he had gained. And the people who had promised to protect him? They couldn't do anything about it. He had decided to stop trusting people so easily after that.

* * *

_We'll be friends forever, okay?_

When this third promise came, he was hesitant, unwilling even, to accept it. But he wavered. His mind told him that it would be no use. This person would betray him eventually as well. But his heart told him to trust her. His mind eventually complied, reasoning that all the promises broken to him were made by adults, people older than him. A promise made by someone his age, younger than him even, can't have any bad intentions or results right?

Wrong.

"I hate you!" she had yelled at him. She was depressed at that time, so Kanda wanted to deny it, that she didn't mean what she said. But after the person she was waiting for came, she stuck so close to him and Kanda was sure he wasn't wanted anymore, like a toy she kept around for entertainment and threw away when what she really wanted finally came. It was then he realized it. Up till now, he had been blaming the other people for breaking their promises to him. But now he knew.

He was the one who should be blamed for everything.

He should be the one at fault. He was the naïve one, who believed when no one else would have given the same circumstances. He was the one who thought that everything would turn out fine, when all the hints pointed towards disaster and despair. He was the stupid one.

Having realized that, Kanda had forcibly put everything that had behind him and changed. He stopped trusting people easily and kept everyone at a distance. There was no need to repeat past mistakes anymore. Or remember what had happened. That was what he thought.

Until 'Allen Walker' came that is.

And that was what led to Kanda venting out his past frustrations on the person who reminded him so much of the past self that he wanted to forget.

But Kanda knew. Someday, 'Allen Walker' will change. Reality will make sure of that.

* * *

**Pika318: **I hoped you like it. Please don't think of this update as a sign that I'm going to continue this drabble series. I'm just posting what I seemed to have neglected posting.


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